In Southeastern Pennsylvania, the number of Asians in the region has doubled in the past fifteen years.  According to the 1990 US Census, there were approximately 83,000 Asians living in Southeastern Pennsylvania (SEPA) in 1990, representing little over 2% of the population.  Based on 2000 US Census projections, there are now approximately 169,500 Asians living in Southeastern Pennsylvania, representing 4.4% of the population.

The Community Health Data Base (CHDB) at PHMC recognized this growing population within the region and decided to include an over-sample of the Asian population in the 2002 and 2004 Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Surveys, so as to better understand the health status, health behaviors and barriers to care currently facing the Asian population.

On May 26th, CHDB staff presented findings from the 2004 Household Health Survey Asian over-sample at PHMC’s seminar, Exploring Asian American Health Issues.  The following article discusses selected findings from this presentation.  For more information on the health of Asian Americans in Southeastern Pennsylvania, a complete copy of this presentation, including detailed tables and graphs, is currently available online at: http://www.chdbdata.org/uploads/datareports/CHDBAsianpres.pdf

Education, Income and Poverty among Asian Adults in SEPA

Data from the 2000 U.S. Census reveal that Asian adults in Southeastern Pennsylvania have the highest levels of education among all adults in the region, and have a higher per capita income and lower rate of unemployment than adult of other races.  However, nearly one out of five Asians in the region are living below poverty. 
·  Nearly half of all Asian adults in the region have graduated from college (46%), as compared to 33% of White adults, 12% of African American adults and 13% of Latino adults. 
·  Asian adults have a higher per capita income ($18,384) and lower rate of unemployment (7.3%) than adults of other minority races. 
·  Despite higher levels of education and lower rates of unemployment, nearly 25,000 Asians in Southeastern Pennsylvania are currently living below poverty (18.6%).

Health Status of Asian Adults

Asian adults in the region are less likely than adults of other races to report fair or poor health or the presence of a chronic condition.
·  One out of ten Asian adults in the region report being diagnosed with a chronic condition (9.7%), as compared to approximately one out of four White, African American and Latino adults.
·  Among Asian adults in the region, 4.3% report being diagnosed with diabetes, 11.6% high blood pressure and 13.4% high cholesterol.  
·  Combined, 28.5% of Asian adults are either obese or overweight, compared to significantly higher percentages among adults of other races.

Access and Barriers to Care Among Asian Adults

Asian adults in the region are more likely than adults of other races to lack health insurance and a regular source of care.  As a result, many Asian adults in the region are not receiving necessary medical care, routine exams and recommended screenings for chronic conditions.  Without regular care and screenings, Asian adults may be unaware of the presence of certain health conditions.

·  Approximately 16,800 Asian adults did not have health insurance in 2004 at the time of the survey (13.1%), and an additional 6,600 Asian adults were uninsured at some point in the past year (5.9%).  In total, this represents 19% or 23,400 Asian adults in the region who were uninsured at some point in the past year.
·  Asian adults are twice as likely as adults of other races to not have a regular source of health care (21.8%).
·  In the past year, nearly 10,275 Asian adults reported that they were sick but did not seek care due to the cost, 12,525 did not fill a prescription due to the cost and 22,050 did not get dental care due to cost. 
·  One out of five Asian women in the region have never had a Pap Smear or Breast Exam (20.4% and 20.9% respectively). 
·  Two out of five Asian men ages 50years and older have never had a Prostate exam (40.8%).

In addition to a lack of health insurance and a regular source of care, Asian adults also face cultural and language barriers that may prevent them from accessing medical care and properly communicating with health care professionals.

·  More than eight out of ten Asian adults interviewed in the 2004 Household Health survey indicated that they speak a language other than English at home (82.5%).
·  Nearly six out of ten Asian adults in the region report that there are no healthcare services available in their native language (57%), and 43.2% report that there are no healthcare resources and materials available in their native language.

Health Behaviors of Asian Adults

Without being closely connected to the healthcare community, Asian adults in the region may not be receiving recommendations from healthcare professionals about healthy behaviors, such as the importance of exercise and proper nutrition, and the health risks associated with unhealthy behaviors such as smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol.

Although Asian adults are significantly less likely than adults of other races to be overweight or obese, many Asian adults in the region do not exercise regularly or follow the recommended nutrition guidelines.

·  Greater than half of all Asian adults in the region report that they do not exercise regularly (53.2%).
·  Approximately half of all Asian adults eat less than three servings of fruit and vegetables per day (48.6%).
·  Nearly one out of five Asian adults eat fast food at least twice a week (18.5%).

Compared to adults of other races, overall Asian adults are less likely to practice certain unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking and drinking.  However, the percentage of Asian men who smoke and drink is significantly higher than that of Asian women.

·  In SEPA, 11.1% of Asian adults in the region report that they smoke cigarettes.
·  One out of five Asian men smoke cigarettes (19.6%) compared to one out of twenty Asian women (5.6%). 
·  A small percentage of Asian adults in the region have a drinking problem (3.5%). 
·  Asian men in SEPA are more likely than Asian women to have a drinking problem (4.0% vs < 1%). 

Improving the Health of Asian Adults in SEPA

While Asians are often cast as the “model minority,” due to higher levels of education, employment and income and other factors, the data reveal that there are still many Asians in Southeastern Pennsylvania living below poverty.  And while Asian adults report fewer chronic conditions compared to adults of other races, many Asian adults in the region do not have health insurance or a regular source of care and face significant language and cultural barriers when accessing care. 

With these needs in mind, PHMC and the University of Pennsylvania are hosting an event at the College of Physicians on June 22nd from 2pm-5pm to discuss the necessary steps to improve the health of Asians in the region.  For more information on this event or to register, please contact Christiaan Morssink at christiaanmo@yahoo.com

For questions about the Community Health Data Base at PHMC, please contact Diana Levengood at 215-731-2039 or dianal@phmc.org.