Asian American Populations and Health

Demographics

Asian Americans are people having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent.^[1] According to the 2000 U.S. Census, those who identify only as Asian-American comprise 3.6 percent of the American population, approximately 10 million individuals. The Census Bureau projects that the Asian-American population will grow to 37.6 million individuals by the year 2050, comprising 9.3 percent of the population. Asian-American populations are generally concentrated in the western states, the Northeast, and parts of the South. The states with the greatest concentration of Asian Americans are Hawaii, California, Washington, New Jersey, and New York.^[2]

Statistics

The Asian Population, 2000 (pdf) US Census Bureau Brief Asian & Pacific Islander Populations, US Census Bureau Top of Page

10 Leading Causes of Death

Asian American & Pacific Islander Population, U.S., 2005 1. Cancer 2. Heart disease 3. Stroke 4. Unintentional injuries 5. Diabetes 6. Influenza and pneumonia 7. Chronic lower respiratory disease 8. Nephritis, Nephrotic syndrome, and Nephrosis 9. Suicide 10. Alzheimer's Disease

Statistics

Leading Causes of Death by Race/Ethnicity (pdf) Health, U.S., 2008, Table 30

Other High Prevalence Health Issues In addition, Asian Americans have disproportionately high prevalence of the following conditions and risk factors: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPD) topic page Hepatitis B topic page fact sheet publications HIV/AIDS factsheet reports Tobacco smoke disparities factsheet Tuberculosis (TB) slide factsheet

Health Disparities

Asian Americans represent a wide variety of languages, dialects, and cultures as different from one another as from non-Asian groups. Asian Americans have historically been overlooked due to the “myth of the model minority”: the erroneous notion that Asian Americans are passive, compliant, and without problems or needs. The effects of this myth have been the failure to take seriously the very real concerns of this population. Asian Americans represent both extremes of socioeconomic and health indices: while more than a million Asian Americans live at or below the federal poverty level, Asian-American women have the highest life expectancy of any other group. Asian Americans suffer disproportionately from certain types of cancer, tuberculosis, and Hepatitis B. Factors contributing to poor health outcomes for Asian Americans include language and cultural barriers, stigma associated with certain conditions, and lack of health insurance.^[3] For more information on some of the health disparities faced by the Asian American community, see Highlight on Asian American & Pacific Islanders and click below for brochures, slides and statistics on that topic.

Statistics

Mortality Rates by Race/Ethnicity (pdf) Health, U.S., 2006, Table 29 Mid Course Review, Healthy People 2010
Data 2010, Healthy People 2010

Brochures & Handouts

Main Menu Asian American Brochure (pdf)
Asian American Handout (pdf)

Slides

Slides showing Disparity (ppt) PowerPoint Presentation on the Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities (OMHD) containing data slides (beginning with slide 21) comparing U.S. incidence or mortality rates by race/ethnicity. To view these slides in PDF format, see Slides (PDF)

Health Statistics

CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)

• Health of Asian or Pacific Islander Population, Fast Stats
• Health Data for All Ages

Health, United States, 2006

• Asian or Pacific Islander Population
• Mortality Rates by Race/Ethnicity (pdf) Table 29
• Leading Causes of Death by Race/Ethnicity (pdf) Table 31

Healthy People 2010

• Data 2010
• Mid Course Review

HHS Office of Minority Health Resource Center

• Asian American / Pacific Islander Profile

U.S. Census Bureau

• The Asian Population, Brief, 2000 (pdf)
• Asian and Pacific Islander Populations
• Asian Pacific American Heritage Month May 2008

Government Resources

CDC

• Asian American News Page
• MMWR and other articles related to the topics of Asian Americans and Health Disparities.
• National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHSTP)
• Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention
• HIV/AIDS Among Asians and Pacific Islanders Fact Sheet
• Office of Health Disparities, NCHSTP
• National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP)
• National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC)
• National Immunization Program (NIP)
• National Prevention Information Network (NPIN)
• Asian Language HIV/AIDS, & STD Information

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

• Asian-American Health Medline Plus
• Asian American Health National Library of Medicine (NLM)
• Asian American Health Healthfinder
• Cancer Health Disparities National Cancer Institute (NCI)
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
• Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National Resource Center

SAMHSA (Mental Health)

• Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders Mental Health Fact Sheet
• SAMHSA Surgeon General's Report
• Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders Culturally Specific Mental Health Resources

Other

• Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders White House Initiative
• Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Addressing Health Disparities: Opportunities for Building a Healthier America
• President's Advisory Commission Report, 2007
• National Hepatitis B Initiative for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
• New Guidelines on Language Service for People with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
• Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Social Security Online

Non-Government Resources

• American Cancer Society (ACS)
• American Heart Association (AHA)
• American Lung Association (ALA)
• Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, & Diabetes American Diabetes Association (ADA)
• Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF)
• Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO)
• National SIDS Resource Center (NSRC)
• NAWHO Health Equity for Asian Americans
• South Asian Public Health Forum (SAPHF)

Funding

• CDC Funding Opportunities

Sources

1. ↑ Census Bureau, Census 2000 Brief: Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin, 2000.
2. ↑ The Asian Population, 2000 (pdf) US Census Bureau Brief
3. ↑ National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Health U.S., 2006, Table 27.

Notes

Census 2000 adheres to the federal standards for collecting and presenting data on race and Hispanic origin as established by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in October 1997 and subsequent guidelines. One of the most important changes for Census 2000 was the revision of the questions on race and Hispanic origin to better reflect the country’s growing diversity. The federal government considers race and Hispanic origin to be two separate and distinct concepts. In addition, Asian Americans and Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders are counted as two separate and distinct racial groups. Because of these changes, the Census 2000 data on race are not directly comparable with data from the 1990 census or earlier censuses. Caution must be used when interpreting changes in the racial composition of the U.S. population over time.

Census Bureau Glossary of Terms: Race, 2000.

Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Provisional Guidance on the Implementation of the 1997 Standards for Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity, 2000.

OMB Recommendations form the Interagency Committee for the Review of the Racial and Ethnic Standards to the OMB Concerning Changes to the Stnadards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity, 1997.