Examining Social Determinants of Health and their Impact on the Asian American Community
Examining Social Determinants of Health and their Impact on the Asian American Community
Written By: Minh Pham 1,2,3,4
Advised By: Krista Wong 3,5
Edited By: Cheryl Tolomeo 3,5
Affiliations:
- Santa Ana College, Santa Ana, CA, USA
- Santiago Canyon College, Orange, CA, USA
- Health Disparities Think Tank, Cambridge, MA, USA
- UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
INTRODUCTION
Asian Americans are considered one of the fastest-growing immigrant groups in the U.S., and more importantly, they have faced a lot of challenges, primarily related to health, which is often considered by generalization and stereotypes. Throughout this paper, we will explore some of the intersections of the social determinants of health (SDOH) along with our Asian American communities, especially regarding cardiometabolic diseases, and some of the historical background and cultural elements that will shape the health outcomes. By examining some of these themes across recent research and historical texts, we can gain a deeper understanding and more nuanced understanding of some of the roles in which socioeconomic status (SES), health literacy, assimilation, acculturation along with cultural perspectives toward health inequities that happen amongst the Asian American communities. Additional findings are much-needed and will suggest more policies and community interventions, which will tailor specific subgroups to address these gaps in health equity and improve health outcomes in the future.
EXAMINING SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH
First of all, regarding the concepts of SDOH, they included a lot of factors that went into it such as economic, social and environmental factors that will influence both individual and community health. The research articles did indicate that Asian Americans experienced one of the higher risks of cardiometabolic diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes, hypertension, and coronary artery disease, which are affected by the SDOH (Powell-Wiley et al., 2022). Other factors also include acculturation, income, and education, which significantly impact specific health outcomes, which vary and differ between different Asian American subgroups (Whitman et al., 2022). Regarding acculturation, there is a high level that can be considered associated with better access to other resources and linked with many diseases with cardiometabolic disease prevalence in our community. Some studies have shown that dietary changes can reduce physical activity and increase acculturation stress levels (Min et al., 2022). For example, suppose we are looking at the South Asian American community. In that case, acculturation has been correlated with our community due to the increase in the incidence of cardiometabolic disorders due to the shifts in many of our diets and lifestyles. Additionally, research has emphasized the risks of increasing with different factors related to the length of residence in the U.S. and English language proficiency. This will allow us to see the complex dynamics of how the acculturation culture works positively and negatively.
Secondly, regarding the historical context, the textbook A New History of an Asian America provides a critical insight into how our Asian American identity and health shaped some historical narratives (Lee, 2013, 5-12). Throughout this part, Lee discusses how certain parts and concepts of Orientalism created enduring stereotypes about how Asians are considered as exotic and considered the Foreign, which can have an impact on our Asian American identity regarding community health. With this inclusion of different inactiveness over the starting from the European Orientalists views, it will position the Asian American as there is a lot of stereotypes that will have with our specific points Asian American is the health voice, influenced by the new public health policies and for and hindered some of the topics social culturally and racially. These stereotypes also affect contemporary healthcare interactions, which will impact certain implicit biases toward the ectopic in healthcare disparities. Asian Americans, in this case, are considered as the model minority, which can make diversity and different health needs of the population this miscaption did carry over the year, and it can things turn into less focus on the unique health challenges Asian Americans did face, especially when the dois such as the higher rate of hypertension and disease with low body mass indexes to come there is withheld need (Kreatsoulas, MSc., and Sonio S Annand MD/PhD FRCPC.
Thirdly, Asian Americans are considered the umbrella category that allows us to see the differences in the least with distinct subgroups. Throughout the research, we can see that the stress of the need for disaggregated data is accurate, which will cause ineffective public health (and lead to a lot of misinformation). For example, we are looking at Chinese Americans to show how the rates of certain diseases between the Filipino and South Asian populations where they will experience diseases such as tension and diabetes, respectively. Throughout the systemic review, Min et al. (2022) can point out some of the socioeconomic factors, immigration patterns, and good health literacy levels that will depend on what types of Asian subgroups they belong to and their health in general. These disparities will continue to be among different Asian subgroups that can be further gone along with the immigration status and regional settlement patterns. As we can see, some of the early Chinese immigrants back in the 19th century and then this is where they have faced a lot of challenges and discrimination, along with restricted access to media. On the other hand, South Asians will have an opportunity for those who arrived passport- in 1965 to benefit from more professional opportunities. Yet, they still encounter health risks that will link to acculturation and lifestyle changes(Min et al., 2002).
Fourth, speaking about the intersection between cultural identity and Health literacy. Ihealth literacy is essential for many individuals to understand with faculty and know more about the topic. For many Asian American subgroups, especially those with limited English proficiency and cultural barriers, they will significantly hinder our health literacy. Some studies showed that low health literacy correlates with higher risk and unmanaged health conditions as the patients might continue with their struggle throughout the U.S... healthcare system or even with some of the medical instructions (Min et al., 2022). Some Asian American subgroups also had some health benefits and improvements that differed slightly from Western ones. For example, our traditional Chinese medicine practices might influence Chinese Americans’ approach to healthcare, leading to some delays and avoiding medical treatment. Improving health literacy among our Asian American community requires a lot of culturally competent healthcare professionals who thoroughly understand this diverse knowledge of health beliefs and practices. Some community-based health education, especially within their native languages, will benefit our community, especially in helping. Additionally, research indicates that community health workers will continue to serve as the same cultural background can later affect some of the bridges to gaps and improve health literacy and health accesses and outcomes for our community amongst some of the subgroups of Asian Ameircna ‘s patients (Whitman et al., 2022).
Lastly, addressing some of these health disparities among some of our Asian American subgroups did require a lot of policy changes and community-level interactions. For example, one of the articles showed evidence-based history, strategies, and research. Including some community health programs and more policy recommendations will help mitigate SDOH for our marinated propulsions (Whitman et al., 2022). To address some of these specific needs of each Asian American subgroup, a lot of our policymakers work hard to ensure that they can incorporate some of the disaggregated data collection and analysis, which can enable a clearer understanding of subgroup-specific health challenges that might incorporate disaggregated data collection and analysis which can provide us a clearer understanding of different subgroup-specific health challenges. One of the effective strategies that might work is implementing community-based projects and initiatives that will incorporate culturally relevant practices for our community. For example, health fairs, workshops, our Asian languages, and providing culturally competent healthcare can help reduce these barriers and encourage some preventive care. More policymakers are also thinking about expanding these resources access to the general public to access bilingual healthcare providers and translation services within our healthcare systems to accommodate non-English speaking for our Asian American communities.
Additionally, community-based organizations and programs to address SDOH (e.g., affordable housing, food security, and more should be promoted in the future for our health equity. Some policies can shift towards integrating social services with healthcare provision that can improve accessibility and health outcomes, especially for low-income communities. This holistic approach will allow us to address SDOH and any patients’ health-related social needs to ensure that we can provide comprehensive healthcare.
Finally, the health disparities among our Asian American communities did allow us to see the complexity of our system that will be playing between SDOH, cultural identity, and historical marginalization along with healthcare accessibility. Some research has allowed us to see a need for nuanced approaches to acknowledge diversity within our Asian American communities. These will emphasize that a one-size-fits-all approach might fail to meet their unique health needs. Having and implementing these policies that promote culturally competent practice and community-based interventions will help us address these disparities and address the health outcomes for our Asian American community. This ultimate goal will be to serve and improve the health outcomes for Asian Americans. This ultimate goal is considered the healthcare system that will oversee, recognize, and respond to the needs of our population to the diversity of our Asian American community, especially for my Vietnamese community as well.
REFERENCES
Amelia Whitman. (n.d.). Addressing social determinants of health: Examples of successful evidence-based strategies and current federal efforts. ASPE. https://aspe.hhs.gov/reports/sdoh-evidence-review
Interrelated social factors may affect cardiovascular health in Asian American subgroups. American Heart Association. (n.d.). https://newsroom.heart.org/news/interrelated-social-factors-may-affect-cardiovascular-health-in-asian-american-subgroups
Kreatsoulas, C., & Anand, S. S. (2010). The impact of social determinants on cardiovascular disease. Canadian Journal of Cardiology, 26. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0828-282x(10)71075-8
LEE, S. S.-H. (2013). New history of Asian america. ROUTLEDGE.
Min, L. Y., Islam, R. B., Gandrakota, N., & Shah, M. K. (2022a). The social determinants of health associated with cardiometabolic diseases among Asian American subgroups: A systematic review. BMC Health Services Research, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-07646-7
Min, L. Y., Islam, R. B., Gandrakota, N., & Shah, M. K. (2022b). The social determinants of health associated with cardiometabolic diseases among Asian American subgroups: A systematic review. BMC Health Services Research, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-07646-7
Powell-Wiley, T. M., Baumer, Y., Baah, F. O., Baez, A. S., Farmer, N., Mahlobo, C. T., Pita, M. A., Potharaju, K. A., Tamura, K., & Wallen, G. R. (2022). Social determinants of cardiovascular disease. Circulation Research, 130(5), 782–799. https://doi.org/10.1161/circresaha.121.319811