Turning the Health Equity Lens to Diversity in Asian American Health Profiles.

The monolithic misrepresentation of Asian American (AsAm) populations has maintained assumptions that AsAm people are not burdened by health disparities and social and economic inequities. However, the story is more nuanced. We critically review AsAm health research to present knowledge of AsAm health profiles from the past two decades and present findings and opportunities across three topical domains: (a) general descriptive knowledge, (b) factors affecting health care uptake, and (c) effective interventions. Much of the literature emphasized underutilization of health care services; low knowledge and awareness among AsAms about health-related risk factors, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment; inadequate efforts by health systems to improve language access, provider-patient communication, and trust; and the critical roles of community- and faith-based organizations and leaders in health promotion initiatives. Future opportunities for AsAm health research will require adoption of and significant investment in community-engaged research infrastructure to increase representation, funding, and research innovation for AsAm communities.

Trends and disparities in prevalence of cardiometabolic diseases by food security status in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have demonstrated the association between food security and cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs), yet none have investigated trends in prevalence of CMDs by food security status in the United States (US). METHODS: Serial cross-sectional analysis of the US nationally representative data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999-2018) was conducted among adults aged 20 years or older. Food security status was defined by the US Household Food Security Survey Module (full, marginal, low, and very low food security). We estimated the age-adjusted prevalence of CMDs including obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and coronary heart disease by food security status. Racial and ethnic disparities in age-adjusted prevalence of CMDs by food security status were also assessed. RESULTS: A total of 49,738 participants were included in this analysis (weighted mean age 47.3 years; 51.3% women). From 1999 to 2018, the age-adjusted prevalence of CMDs was lower in full food secure group as compared with other groups. For example, trends in hypertension decreased from 49.7% (47.5-51.8%) to 45.9% (43.8-48.0%) (P-trend = 0.002) among the full and from 54.2% (49.9-58.5%) to 49.7% (46.8-52.6%) (P-trend = 0.02) among the marginal but remained stable among the low at 49.7% (47.9-51.6%) and among the very low at 51.1% (48.9-53.3%) (P-interaction = 0.02). Prevalence of diabetes increased from 8.85% (8.15-9.60%) to 12.2% (11.1-13.5%) among the full (P-trend < 0.001), from 16.5% (13.2-20.4%) to 20.9% (18.6-23.5%) (P-trend = 0.045) among the marginal and from 14.6% (11.1-19.0%) to 20.9% (18.8-23.3%) (P-trend = 0.001) among the low but remained stable at 18.8% (17.0-20.9) among the very low (P-trend = 0.35) (P-interaction = 0.03). Racial and ethnic differences in prevalence of CMD by food security status were observed. For example, among individuals with full food secure status, the prevalence of diabetes was 9.08% (95% CI, 8.60-9.59%) for non-Hispanic whites, 17.3% (95% CI, 16.4-18.2%) for non-Hispanic blacks, 16.1% (95% CI, 15.0-17.4%) for Hispanics and 14.9% (95% CI, 13.3-16.7%) for others. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Prevalence of CMDs was greatest among those experiencing food insecurity, and food insecurity disproportionately affected racial/ethnic minorities. Disparities in CMD prevalence by food security status persisted or worsened, especially among racial/ethnic minorities.

How Shared Dietary Behaviors Within Asian American Families Are Influenced by Emotional Interaction Qualities: A Nationwide Cross-sectional Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Asian American (AA) young adults face a looming diet-related non-communicable disease crisis. Interactions with family members are pivotal in the lives of AA young adults and form the basis of family-based interventions; however, little is known on the role of these interactions in shared family food behaviors. Through an analysis of 2021 nationwide survey data of 18-35-year-old AAs, this study examines how the quality of family member interactions associates with changes in shared food purchasing, preparation, and consumption. METHOD: Interaction quality was assessed through 41 emotions experienced while interacting with family, and was categorized as positive (e.g., "I look forward to it"), negative (e.g., "I feel annoyed"), and appreciation-related (e.g., "I feel respected") interactions. Participants were also asked how frequently they ate meals, ate out, grocery shopped, and cooked with their family. RESULTS: Among the 535 AAs surveyed (47.6% East Asian, 21.4% South Asian, 22.6% Southeast Asian), 842 unique family interactions were analyzed; 43.5% of interactions were with mothers, followed by siblings (27.1%), and fathers (18.5%). Participants most frequently ate meals with their family (at least daily for 33.5% of participants), followed by cooking (at least daily for 11.3%). In adjusted analyses, an increase in shared food behaviors was particularly associated with positive interactions, although most strongly with cooking together and least strongly with eating meals together; significant differences between ethnic subgroups were not observed. CONCLUSION: Findings revealed the importance of family interaction quality when leveraging family relationships to develop more tailored, impactful AA young adult dietary interventions.

A Culturally Specific Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program to Improve Diet in Immigrant Communities in Brooklyn, New York.

Anti-Asian and anti-immigrant sentiment has surged in the country in the last 3 years. Food insecurity is also on the rise; in our local needs assessment of n = 1,270 Asian American adults in New York City, accessing food was cited as the number 1 priority among those who needed help. Finally, racial discrimination and food access are related to fear of being attacked-driving feelings of safety and therefore willingness to travel for food. To combat these narratives and leveraging pivots by our community partners, we implemented a community-supported agriculture pilot program (n = 38) to assess whether culturally appropriate food access can improve diet and foster cross-cultural learning among immigrant families in Brooklyn, NY. Over a 20-week period from June to October 2022, participants received Chinese-specific produce and nutrition education. Participants reported eating more and a greater variety of vegetables and had higher vegetable intake measured via skin carotenoid scores. This pilot may inform the adaptation of nutrition interventions to reduce inequities in chronic diseases in immigrant communities.

Methods for retrospectively improving race/ethnicity data quality: a scoping review.

Improving race and ethnicity (hereafter, race/ethnicity) data quality is imperative to ensure underserved populations are represented in data sets used to identify health disparities and inform health care policy. We performed a scoping review of methods that retrospectively improve race/ethnicity classification in secondary data sets. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, searches were conducted in the MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science Core Collection databases in July 2022. A total of 2 441 abstracts were dually screened, 453 full-text articles were reviewed, and 120 articles were included. Study characteristics were extracted and described in a narrative analysis. Six main method types for improving race/ethnicity data were identified: expert review (n = 9; 8%), name lists (n = 27, 23%), name algorithms (n = 55, 46%), machine learning (n = 14, 12%), data linkage (n = 9, 8%), and other (n = 6, 5%). The main racial/ethnic groups targeted for classification were Asian (n = 56, 47%) and White (n = 51, 43%). Some form of validation evaluation was included in 86 articles (72%). We discuss the strengths and limitations of different method types and potential harms of identified methods. Innovative methods are needed to better identify racial/ethnic subgroups and further validation studies. Accurately collecting and reporting disaggregated data by race/ethnicity are critical to address the systematic missingness of relevant demographic data that can erroneously guide policymaking and hinder the effectiveness of health care practices and intervention.

Identifying opportunities for collective action around community nutrition programming through participatory systems science.

PURPOSE: To apply principles of group model building (GMB), a participatory systems science approach, to identify barriers and opportunities for collective impact around nutrition programming to reduce cancer risk for immigrant communities in an urban environment. METHODS: We convened four in-person workshops applying GMB with nine community partners to generate causal loop diagrams (CLDs)-a visual representation of hypothesized causal relationships between variables and feedback structures within a system. GMB workshops prompted participants to collaboratively identify programmatic goals and challenges related to (1) community gardening, (2) nutrition education, (3) food assistance programs, and (4) community-supported agriculture. Participants then attended a plenary session to integrate findings from all workshops and identify cross-cutting ideas for collective action. RESULTS: Several multilevel barriers to nutrition programming emerged: (1) food policies center the diets and practices of White Americans and inhibit culturally tailored food guidelines and funding for culturally appropriate nutrition education; (2) the lack of culturally tailored nutrition education in communities is a missed opportunity for fostering pride in immigrant food culture and sustainment of traditional food practices; and (3) the limited availability of traditional ethnic produce in food assistance programs serving historically marginalized immigrant communities increases food waste and worsens food insecurity. CONCLUSION: Emergent themes coalesced around the need to embed cultural tailoring into all levels of the food system, while also considering other characteristics of communities being reached (e.g., language needs). These efforts require coordinated actions related to food policy and advocacy, to better institutionalize these practices within the nutrition space.

The Health and Economic Impact of Using a Sugar Sweetened Beverage Tax to Fund Fruit and Vegetable Subsidies in New York City: A Modeling Study.

Low fruit and vegetable (FV) intake and high sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption are independently associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). Many people in New York City (NYC) have low FV intake and high SSB consumption, partly due to high cost of fresh FVs and low cost of and easy access to SSBs. A potential implementation of an SSB tax and an FV subsidy program could result in substantial public health and economic benefits. We used a validated microsimulation model for predicting CVD events to estimate the health impact and cost-effectiveness of SSB taxes, FV subsidies, and funding FV subsidies with an SSB tax in NYC. Population demographics and health profiles were estimated using data from the NYC Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Policy effects and price elasticity were derived from recent meta-analyses. We found that funding FV subsidies with an SSB tax was projected to be the most cost-effective policy from the healthcare sector perspective. From the societal perspective, the most cost-effective policy was SSB taxes. All policy scenarios could prevent more CVD events and save more healthcare costs among men compared to women, and among Black vs. White adults. Public health practitioners and policymakers may want to consider adopting this combination of policy actions, while weighing feasibility considerations and other unintended consequences.

Transportation and language access as crucial pillars for an immigrant-inclusive 21st-century food security program.

Though food insecurity has long been recognised to impact health, population-specific determinants of food insecurity have recently been studied systematically as an important public health concern. Indeed, while immigrant populations face particular challenges to equitable access to the food system, many of these concerns have not been systematically described. To this end, we critically review recent work that demonstrates the importance of transportation and language access as independent determinants of access to food for immigrant populations. Furthermore, we highlight proposals to mitigate barriers to access, including both academic and community-driven approaches to create overlapping institutional commitments for inclusive policymaking that meets the specific needs of diverse populations.

Trends and disparities in diabetes and prediabetes among adults in the United States, 1999-2018.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of the study were to describe the up-to-date trend of total, diagnosed, and undiagnosed diabetes and prediabetes, assess their associated disparities among population subgroups, and examine their relationship with sociodemographic factors among adults in the United States. STUDY DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study from a nationally representative sample of US adults (aged ≥20 years) who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. METHODS: Diagnosed diabetes was defined as a self-reported previous diagnosis of diabetes by a physician or any other health professionals (other than during pregnancy). Undiagnosed diabetes was defined as elevated levels of fasting plasma glucose (≥126 mg/dL) or HbA1c (≥6.5%). Total diabetes included those who had either diagnosed or undiagnosed diabetes. Prediabetes was defined as an HbA1c level of 5.7%-6.4% or a fasting plasma glucose level of 100-125 mg/dL. All estimates were age standardized to the 2010 US census population for age groups 20-44, 45-64, and 65+ years. All analyses accounted for the complex survey design. Logistic regressions were used to conduct the analyses. RESULTS: A total of 21,600 (mean, 47.2 years [SD, 14.7]) individuals were analyzed. From 1999 to 2018, the age-standardized prevalence increased significantly from 9.17% to 14.7% (difference, 5.52%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.69%-8.35%; P-trend <0.001) for total diabetes, increased from 6.15% to 11.0% (difference, 4.79%; 95% CI, 2.27%-7.32%; P-trend<0.001) for diagnosed diabetes and remained stable from 3.01% to 3.73% (difference, 0.72%; 95% CI, -0.47% to 1.91%; P-trend = 0.19) for undiagnosed diabetes. The age-standardized prevalence of prediabetes increased significantly from 29.5% to 48.3% (difference, 18.8%; 95% CI, 13.3%-24.4%; P-trend<0.001). Disparities persisted with higher prevalence among adults with obesity and populations that have been marginalized, including racial and ethnic minorities, low income, less educated Americans, and those living in food-insecure household. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes increased significantly from 1999 to 2018 among US adults. There are substantial and persistent disparities among racial and ethnic minorities, populations experiencing socio-economic disadvantages, and adults with obesity.

Are recommended dietary patterns equitable?

OBJECTIVE: Dietary recommendations (DR) in the USA may be inadequate at improving diets in racial/ethnic minority communities and may require redesign of the systems driving their development over the long term. Meanwhile, cultural adaptation of evidence-based DR may be an important strategy for mitigating nutrition disparities, but less is known about the adaptability of these recommendations to meet the needs of diverse groups. We examined the content and origin of major DRs - aspects that provide context on their potential universality across populations and evaluated their potential for cultural adaptation. DESIGN: Case studies of Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), the Mediterranean diet (MD), the EAT-Lancet diet (EAT) and the NOVA classification system. SETTING: United States. PARTICIPANTS: Racial/ethnic minority populations. RESULTS: Current DR differ in their origin/evolution but are similar in their reductionist emphasis on physical health. DASH has been successfully adapted for some cultures but may be challenged by the need for intensive resources; MD may be more beneficial if applied as part of a broader set of food procurement/preparation practices than as just diet alone; EAT-Lancet adaptation may not honor existing country-specific practices that are already beneficial to human and environmental health (e.g. traditional/plant-based diets); evidence for cultural adaptation is limited with NOVA, but classification of levels of food processing has potential for widespread application. CONCLUSIONS: For DR to equitably support diverse populations, they must move beyond a Eurocentric or 'general population' framing, be more inclusive of cultural differences and honour social practices to improve diet and reduce disparities.

Assessing changes in the food retail environment during the COVID-19 pandemic: opportunities, challenges, and lessons learned.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 mitigation strategies have had an untold effect on food retail stores and restaurants. Early evidence from New York City (NYC) indicated that these strategies, among decreased travel from China and increased fears of viral transmission and xenophobia, were leading to mass closures of businesses in Manhattan's Chinatown. The constantly evolving COVID -19 crisis has caused research design and methodology to fundamentally shift, requiring adaptable strategies to address emerging and existing public health problems such as food security that may result from closures of food outlets. OBJECTIVE: We describe innovative approaches used to evaluate changes to the food retail environment amidst the constraints of the pandemic in an urban center heavily burdened by COVID-19. Included are challenges faced, lessons learned and future opportunities. METHODS: First, we identified six diverse neighborhoods in NYC: two lower-resourced, two higher-resourced, and two Chinese ethnic enclaves. We then developed a census of food outlets in these six neighborhoods using state and local licensing databases. To ascertain the status (open vs. closed) of outlets pre-pandemic, we employed a manual web-scraping technique. We used a similar method to determine the status of outlets during the pandemic. Two independent online sources were required to confirm the status of outlets. If two sources could not confirm the status, we conducted phone call checks and/or in-person visits. RESULTS: The final baseline database included 2585 food outlets across six neighborhoods. Ascertaining the status of food outlets was more difficult in lower-resourced neighborhoods and Chinese ethnic enclaves compared to higher-resourced areas. Higher-resourced neighborhoods required fewer phone call and in-person checks for both restaurants and food retailers than other neighborhoods. CONCLUSIONS: Our multi-step data collection approach maximized safety and efficiency while minimizing cost and resources. Challenges in remote data collection varied by neighborhood and may reflect the different resources or social capital of the communities; understanding neighborhood-specific constraints prior to data collection may streamline the process.

Disentangling the roles of generational status and acculturation on dietary behaviors in disaggregated Asian American subgroups.

INTRODUCTION: Little is known on the independent effects of generational status and acculturation on the consumption of specific foods among disaggregated Asian American (AA) populations. This study explores the associations of generational status and acculturation with dietary behaviors of a nationwide non-probability sample of 3018 AAs (57.6% East Asian American (EAA), 18.9% South Asian American (SAA), 19.4% Southeast Asian American (SEAA)). METHODS: Recruited participants completed an online dietary survey designed and adapted for AAs to assess a range of diet and food purchasing behaviors. Generational status was assessed through participant and parental country of birth (1st-Gen, 2nd-Gen, 3rd-Gen); the Marin Short Acculturation Scale was adapted to measure acculturation. Linear regression models assessed the association of generational status and acculturation with consumption of 11 food/nutrient groups, adjusted for socio-economic variables. RESULTS: Compared to estimated US averages, participants reported lower fruit, dairy, and seafood intake yet lower red and processed meat, and higher whole grain, calcium, and fiber intake. Compared to EAA, SAA reported higher dairy (1.72 vs. 1.46 cups/day) and calcium (1029 vs. 954 mg/day) intakes, while SEAA reported lower vegetable intake (1.66 vs. 1.78 cups/day). In adjusted analyses, processed meat intake was higher among 2nd-Gen and 3rd-Gen vs.1st-Gen (+0.029 times/day; +0.061 times/day) participants. Higher acculturation was associated with lower vegetable, fiber, and seafood intake (-0.005 cups/day; -0.02 g/day; -0.002 times/day). CONCLUSION: Greater attention to the role of generational status and acculturation in AA dietary behaviors is needed, and findings call for further research to understand the mechanisms behind the dietary influence of different socialization and acculturative processes.

Disparities in colorectal cancer screening among South Asians in New York City: a cross-sectional study.

Despite improvements in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening in New York City (NYC) since the early 2000s, the degree to which disparities persist for specific Asian American subgroups has yet to be fully elucidated. The purpose of this study is to examine disparities in rates of timely colonoscopy screening among five racial/ethnic groups in NYC. We performed a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of combined 2014-2018 NYC Community Health Survey data. Prevalence estimates of timely colonoscopy screening (within the past 10 years) among individuals ≥ 50 years of age were calculated and presented overall (n = 24,288) and by socio-demographic variables. Racial/ethnic categories included White, Black, Hispanic, East Asian, and South Asian. Multivariable models examined socio-demographic and racial/ethnic predictors of timely colonoscopy screening. A trend analysis examined colonoscopy screening by race/ethnicity and year from 2012 to 2018 (n = 33,130). Age-adjusted prevalence of timely colonoscopy screening was lowest among Asian Americans (South Asian 61.1% and East Asian 65.9%) compared to Hispanics (71.3%), Blacks (70.2%), and Whites (68.6%). Adjustment by socio-demographics, including insurance status, further explained disparities for South Asians (adjusted risk ratio [RR] = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.73-0.97) compared to Hispanics; additionally, Whites (adjusted RR=0.88, 95% CI = 0.84-0.92) were less likely to have received a timely colonoscopy compared to Hispanics. Age, health insurance, poverty group, and education were significant predictors in adjusted regression. Results indicate that South Asians have not equally benefited from campaigns to increase colonoscopy screening in NYC. Our findings support the development of targeted, and linguistically and culturally adapted campaigns that facilitate access to health systems and leverage existing community assets and social support systems among South Asian populations.

Immigrant Communities and COVID-19: Strengthening the Public Health Response.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the many broken fragments of US health care and social service systems, reinforcing extant health and socioeconomic inequities faced by structurally marginalized immigrant communities. Throughout the pandemic, even during the most critical period of rising cases in different epicenters, immigrants continued to work in high-risk-exposure environments while simultaneously having less access to health care and economic relief and facing discrimination. We describe systemic factors that have adversely affected low-income immigrants, including limiting their work opportunities to essential jobs, living in substandard housing conditions that do not allow for social distancing or space to safely isolate from others in the household, and policies that discourage access to public resources that are available to them or that make resources completely inaccessible. We demonstrate that the current public health infrastructure has not improved health care access or linkages to necessary services, treatments, or culturally competent health care providers, and we provide suggestions for how the Public Health 3.0 framework could advance this. We recommend the following strategies to improve the Public Health 3.0 public health infrastructure and mitigate widening disparities: (1) address the social determinants of health, (2) broaden engagement with stakeholders across multiple sectors, and (3) develop appropriate tools and technologies. (Am J Public Health. 2021;111(S3):S224-S231. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306433).

Implementing Hypertension Management Interventions in Immigrant Communities in the U.S.: a Narrative Review of Recent Developments and Suggestions for Programmatic Efforts.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To outline intervention efforts focused on reducing hypertension disparities in immigrant communities in the U.S. and to identify areas in the design, implementation, and evaluation of these interventions that warrant further exploration guided by an implementation science framework. RECENT FINDINGS: Studies examined (n = 11) included immigrant populations of African, Hispanic, and Asian origin. Men were underrepresented in most studies. Culturally tailored group-based educational sessions in religious or community spaces were common. Intervention agents included research assistants, registered nurses, community health workers, and faith-based organization volunteers. Community stakeholders were engaged in most studies, although most commonly for recruitment efforts. Surveys/interviews were used for intervention evaluation, and documentation of intervention activities and trainings was used to assess fidelity. Identified pathways for further intervention innovation included gender or migration-status-based targeting, diversifying intervention agents, enhancing mixed-method process evaluations, and tailoring to emerging needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Effects of New York's Executive Order on Face Mask Use on COVID-19 Infections and Mortality: A Modeling Study.

There is growing evidence on the effect of face mask use in controlling the spread of COVID-19. However, few studies have examined the effect of local face mask policies on the pandemic. In this study, we developed a dynamic compartmental model of COVID-19 transmission in New York City (NYC), which was the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA. We used data on daily and cumulative COVID-19 infections and deaths from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to calibrate and validate our model. We then used the model to assess the effect of the executive order on face mask use on infections and deaths due to COVID-19 in NYC. Our results showed that the executive order on face mask use was estimated to avert 99,517 (95% CIs 72,723-126,312) COVID-19 infections and 7978 (5692-10,265) deaths in NYC. If the executive order was implemented 1 week earlier (on April 10), the averted infections and deaths would be 111,475 (81,593-141,356) and 9017 (6446-11,589), respectively. If the executive order was implemented 2 weeks earlier (on April 3 when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended face mask use), the averted infections and deaths would be 128,598 (94,373-162,824) and 10,515 (7540-13,489), respectively. Our study provides public health practitioners and policymakers with evidence on the importance of implementing face mask policies in local areas as early as possible to control the spread of COVID-19 and reduce mortality.

Characterising urban immigrants' interactions with the food retail environment.

OBJECTIVE: The food retail environment is an important determinant of food access and the ability to achieve a healthy diet. However, immigrant communities may procure their food in different ways than the mainstream population owing to preferences for specific cultural products or limited English language proficiency. The objective of this analysis was to describe the grocery shopping patterns and behaviours of one of the largest immigrant groups in New York City, Chinese Americans - a group experiencing high poverty and cardio-metabolic disparities. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey data. SETTING: Community-based sample. PARTICIPANTS: Self-identified Chinese Americans in the New York metropolitan area (n 239). RESULTS: Three shopping patterns were identified: type 1: shopped weekly at an ethnic grocery store - and nowhere else; type 2: shopped weekly at a non-ethnic grocery store, with occasional shopping at an ethnic store and type 3: did not perform weekly shopping. Type 1 v. type 2 shoppers tended to have lower education levels (37·5 v. 78·0 % with college degree); to be on public insurance (57·6 v. 22·8 %); speak English less well (18·4 v. 41·4 %); be food insecure (47·2 v. 24·2 %; P < 0·01 for all) and to travel nearly two miles further to shop at their primary grocery store (ß = -1·55; 95 % CI -2·81, -0·30). DISCUSSION: There are distinct grocery shopping patterns amongst urban-dwelling Chinese Americans corresponding to demographic and sociocultural factors that may help inform health interventions in this understudied group. Similar patterns may exist among other immigrant groups, lending preliminary support for an alternative conceptualisation of how immigrant communities interact with the food retail environment.

Neighborhood social cohesion and disease prevention in Asian immigrant populations.

In the United States (US), chronic disease risk factors are highly prevalent among Asian immigrant communities, who also exhibit low health screening rates. Perceived neighborhood social cohesion (NSC) has been associated with preventive healthcare use in the general US population, although it remains unexplored among Asian Americans (AAs). The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between NSC and preventive screening for hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, and depression among East, South and Southeast Asian American (EAA, SAA, SEAA) communities in New York City (NYC) using cross-sectional, locally collected data from 2013 to 2016. NSC was assessed using a 4-question scale to create an additive score between 4 and 16 and was analyzed both as a continuous and categorial variable (High, Medium, and Low tertiles). Recent screening was defined as a check-up within the last year for each of the included health conditions. A one-unit increase in NSC score was associated with increased odds of recent screening for high cholesterol in EAAs (AOR = 1.09, 95%CI:1.00-1.20); for high cholesterol, diabetes, and depression in SAAs (AOR = 1.08, 95%CI:1.00-1.20; AOR = 1.07, 95%CI:1.00-1.15; AOR = 1.15, 95%CI:1.06-1.25); and with high cholesterol among SEAAs (AOR = 1.12, 95%CI:1.00-1.25). Overall, NSC was an important facilitator for preventive screening behaviors for specific conditions in different groups, though was consistently associated with screening for high cholesterol in our sample. Enhancing NSC through family and community-based programming may be one strategy to encourage screening for preventive behaviors, though more research is needed to elucidate a precise mechanism.

Enriching Nutrition Programs to Better Serve the Needs of a Diversifying Aging Population.

Racial minorities experience a high burden of food insecurity relative to non-Hispanic whites. Government-subsidized nutrition programs can positively impact food insecurity and nutritional risk among older adults. Yet, in New York City, where nearly 60% of people over 65 years are non-white, older minorities participate in government nutrition programs at very low rates. In this commentary, we focus on 2 programs: the Child and Adult Care Food Program and Older Americans Act Nutrition Services Programs. We identify opportunities for strengthening these programs to improve their reach and engagement with diverse older adults in New York City and similarly diverse urban communities.