ABSTRACT
Disaster experiences and explorations of preparedness among Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi Americans (APIDA) in the United States are often overlooked owing to their relatively smaller population share. APIDA are not homogenous, and their disaster experiences warrant further examination. This paper does so by investigating disaster preparedness using disaggregated information about APIDA. The study utilises nationally representative data from the 2017 American Housing Survey, analysing sociodemographic covariates. The disaster preparedness score among APIDA communities was approximately 4.81 on a zero to nine scale. APIDA renters and non-US citizens were less prepared than homeowners and US citizens. Among subgroups, Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese respondents who were non-US citizens were less prepared than those who were US citizens. Marital status was significantly and positively associated with preparedness among Indians, Japanese, Vietnamese, and multiracial respondents. The findings underscore the importance of data disaggregation and tailored preparedness information and resources to address specific challenges APIDA communities face instead of a one-size-fits-all approach.
ABSTRACT
We assessed whether race moderates the association between flourishing and all-cause mortality. We used panel data from the Midlife in the United States Study (MIDUS) (1995-2016; n = 2,851). Approximately 19% of White respondents and 23% of Black respondents in the baseline sample died over the course of the 21-year study period (n = 564). Cox proportional hazard models showed that Blacks had a higher mortality rate relative to Whites and higher levels of flourishing were associated with a lower mortality rate. Furthermore, a significant interaction between flourishing and race in predicting death was observed. Blacks with higher levels of flourishing had a mortality rate that was not significantly different from that of Whites. However, Blacks, but not Whites, with low flourishing scores had a higher mortality rate. As such, health-promotion efforts focused on enhancing flourishing among Black populations may reduce the Black-White gap in mortalityrate.
Subject(s)
Health Status Disparities , Mortality , Racial Groups/statistics & numerical data , Adult , Black or African American/statistics & numerical data , Aged , Cohort Studies , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Proportional Hazards Models , Psychology , Socioeconomic Factors , United States/epidemiology , White People/statistics & numerical data , Young AdultABSTRACT
Asian Americans are simultaneously stereotyped as a perpetual foreigner and a model minority. This cross-sectional study of 308 Filipino American youth (mean age 18 years; 47% emerging adult; 72% U.S.-born; 57% female) and 340 Korean American youth (mean age 18 years; 39% emerging adult; 59% U.S.-born; 49% female) is the first to investigate both the direct and interactive effects of these seemingly opposite stereotypes on internalizing and externalizing outcomes, and how these relations differ by ethnicity, age group (adolescence vs. emerging adulthood), and nativity (foreign-born vs. U.S.-born). The results confirm that the perpetual foreigner stereotype predicts more internalizing problems, whereas aspects of the model minority stereotype (i.e., achievement orientation and unrestricted mobility) had different effects by ethnicity. Those who deeply internalize the model minority stereotype were found to be particularly vulnerable. Furthermore, the interactive effects of these stereotypes were more prominent during emerging adulthood than in adolescence, regardless of ethnicity. These nuanced and complex mechanisms need to be thoroughly understood in order to develop appropriate and effective public health or school interventions that can support Asian American young people in dealing with the harmful effects of racial stereotypes.
Subject(s)
Asian , Emigrants and Immigrants , Adolescent , Adult , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Male , Racial Groups , StereotypingABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Informed by Latino Critical Race Theory, the present study examined how intersections between English use/proficiency, Spanish use/proficiency, and heritage group shape the varying experiences of ethnic discrimination reported by US Hispanic adults. METHODS: The study utilized data from 7,037 Hispanic adults from the 2012-2013 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III. Multivariable binomial logistic regression modeled language use/proficiency, heritage, and demographic characteristics as predictors of past-year self-reported perceived ethnic discrimination, overall and in six different settings. RESULTS: Both English and Spanish use/proficiency were positively associated with increased adjusted odds of reporting ethnic discrimination overall, in public, or with respect to employment/education/ housing/courts/police; however, with respect to being called a racist name or receiving verbal/physical threats/assaults, a positive association was observed for English, yet not Spanish. Results also indicated a significant interaction between English use/proficiency and Spanish use/proficiency when predicting past-year ethnic discrimination overall or for any of the six types/settings examined, although the relationship between language use/proficiency and ethnic discrimination varied by Hispanic heritage group. CONCLUSION: Study findings emphasize that experiencing some form of ethnic discrimination is relatively common among US Hispanic adults, yet the prevalence and types or settings of ethnic discrimination vary widely on the basis of demographics, immigrant generation, heritage, and the interplay between English and Spanish use/proficiency.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: This study investigates whether and how racial discrimination is associated with ethnic-racial socialization in the family and how distinct aspects of ethnic-racial socialization influence children's ethnic and American identity among Filipino American and Korean American families. METHOD: The data are obtained from the Midwest Longitudinal Study of Asian American Families Project (N = 1,580; 379 Filipino American youths and 377 parents, and 410 Korean American youths and 414 parents; Mage of youths = 15.01). Using the bootstrapping and maximum likelihood with missing values approaches, we conducted path analyses to test the hypothesized associations concurrently and longitudinally for each ethnic group. RESULTS: Youth-reported racial discrimination was directly associated with weaker American identity, both concurrently and longitudinally. In concurrent models, racial discrimination experienced by both youth and parents was positively associated with youth-reported preparation for bias, which in turn was linked with stronger ethnic identity among Filipinos, whereas no indirect pathways reached statistical significance among Koreans. In longitudinal models, parent-reported discrimination was linked with higher levels of promotion of mistrust among both groups, which predicted weaker ethnic identity among Filipino youth but stronger American identity among Korean youth. CONCLUSIONS: The present study highlights how exposure to racial discrimination may have a lasting influence in cultural identity development among Asian Americans and possibly through ethnic-racial socialization in the family, which might have been shaped by such experiences. Our results also underscore the importance of considering the experiences of both children and parents in studies of discrimination and ethnic-racial socialization. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Subject(s)
Asian , Racism , Adolescent , Child , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , Social Identification , SocializationABSTRACT
Racial discrimination is known to harm health, but to what extent the health burden of racial discrimination is contingent on residential contexts is understudied. This study examines the moderating role of racial residential segregation in the relationship between racial discrimination and psychological distress. Nationally representative data from the 2002-2003 National Latino and Asian American Study were merged with metropolitan-level data from the U.S. Census. Logistic regression models were used to test the independent and joint contributions of racial discrimination and residential segregation to psychological distress among Asians and Latinxs, stratified by nativity status. Higher residential segregation (measured by the interaction index) is associated with lower odds of distress among U.S.-born Asians but not among other groups. As for the moderating effect, residential segregation exacerbates the positive association between discrimination and distress among foreign-born Asians (measured by the dissimilarity index) and foreign-born Latinxs (measured by the interaction index), but not among their respective U.S.-born counterparts. Taken together, the present study highlights that strategies to mitigate the psychological burden of racial discrimination need to move beyond individual-level efforts to incorporate neighborhood-based approaches. In particular, results provide empirical support for efforts to reduce residential segregation, particularly among immigrants who are discriminated against.
Subject(s)
Asian/psychology , Hispanic or Latino/psychology , Racism/psychology , Social Segregation/psychology , Stress, Psychological/psychology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Asian/statistics & numerical data , Censuses , Female , Health Status Disparities , Hispanic or Latino/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Stress, Psychological/epidemiology , United States/epidemiology , Young AdultABSTRACT
This study tests the psychometric properties of multiple survey items and scales that are either underused or newly developed to assess familism among Asian Americans. Using data collected from 150 Filipino and 188 Korean American parents (mostly mothers) in the Midwest region in 2013, the measures were examined for validity and reliability for each group and, when appropriate, for cross-cultural equivalence across the groups. Several scales and their items showed high quality psychometric properties and are ready for use to more accurately assess family process of each target group and to conduct comparative analyses. The findings also show that, contrary to the expectation, Filipino American families express more traditional aspects of familism than do Korean American families, and are more likely to reinforce traditional familism beliefs and behaviors among their children. This study reinforces a need for more empirical- and subgroup-specific research effort.
Subject(s)
Family Relations/psychology , Parents/psychology , Social Values/ethnology , Surveys and Questionnaires/standards , Acculturation , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Asian , Cross-Cultural Comparison , Family Relations/ethnology , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Midwestern United States , Philippines/ethnology , Psychometrics , Qualitative Research , Reproducibility of Results , Republic of Korea/ethnologyABSTRACT
The present study examined generational differences in the patterns and predictors of formal and informal mental health service utilization among a nationally representative sample of 1850 Asian Americans from the National Latino and Asian American Study. We focused on the effects of perceived need and relational factors on service utilization among 1st-, 1.5-, and 2nd-generation Asian Americans. Results of hierarchical logistic regression showed significant intergenerational differences. Specifically, 1.5-generation Asian Americans exhibited distinctive pattern of service use, with perceived need being associated with a higher likelihood of using formal mental health services, but only for those with high level of social support. First- and second-generation Asian Americans, on the other hand, perceived need was independently associated with formal service use, and a significant predictor of informal service use for first generation. Greater family conflict was also associated with greater use of formal and informal services for both first- and second generations. However, family cohesion was associated with only informal service use among first -generation Asian Americans. Implications for mental health service policy were discussed.
Subject(s)
Asian/psychology , Family Relations/ethnology , Mental Health Services/statistics & numerical data , Patient Acceptance of Health Care/ethnology , Adult , Age Factors , Female , Humans , Logistic Models , Male , Middle Aged , Perception , Sex Factors , Social Support , Socioeconomic Factors , United StatesABSTRACT
Citizenship is both a system of privilege and a source of social identity. This study examines whether there are disparities in psychological distress between citizens and noncitizens, and whether these disparities may be explained by markers of social disadvantage (e.g., poverty, discrimination) or perceptions of success in the United States (i.e., subjective social status). We analyze data from the Asian subsample (n = 2,095) of the National Latino and Asian American Study. The data show that noncitizens report greater psychological distress compared with naturalized citizens and native-born citizens after accounting for sociodemographics (e.g., age, gender, Asian subgroup), socioeconomic characteristics (education, employment, income-to-poverty ratio), immigration (e.g., interview language, years in the United States, acculturative stress), health care visits, and everyday discrimination. Preliminary evidence suggests that subjective social status may explain some of the disparities between naturalized citizen and noncitizen Asian Americans.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: . To examine racial-ethnic differences in the endorsement and attribution of psychotic-like symptoms in a nationally representative sample of African-Americans, Asians, Caribbean Blacks, and Latinos living in the USA. DESIGN: Data were drawn from a total of 979 respondents who endorsed psychotic-like symptoms as part of the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS) and the National Survey of American Life (NSAL). We use a mixed qualitative and quantitative analytical approach to examine sociodemographic and ethnic variations in the prevalence and attributions of hallucinations and other psychotic-like symptoms in the NLAAS and NSAL. The lifetime presence of psychotic-like symptoms was assessed using the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview (WMH-CIDI) psychotic symptom screener. We used logistic regression models to examine the probability of endorsing the four most frequently occurring thematic categories for psychotic-like experiences by race/ethnicity (n > 100). We used qualitative methods to explore common themes from participant responses to open ended questions on their attributions for psychotic-like symptoms. RESULTS: African-Americans were significantly less likely to endorse visual hallucinations compared to Caribbean Blacks (73.7% and 89.3%, p < .001), but they endorsed auditory hallucinations symptoms more than Caribbean Blacks (43.1% and 25.7, p < .05). Endorsing delusions of reference and thought insertion/withdrawal were more prevalent for Latinos than for African-Americans (11% and 4.7%, p < .05; 6.3% and 2.7%, p < .05, respectively). Attribution themes included: supernatural, ghosts/unidentified beings, death and dying, spirituality or religiosity, premonitions, familial and other. Respondents differed by race/ethnicity in the attributions given to psychotic like symptoms. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that variations exist by race/ethnicity in both psychotic-like symptom endorsement and in self-reported attributions/understandings for these symptoms on a psychosis screening instrument. Ethnic/racial differences could result from culturally sanctioned beliefs and idioms of distress that deserve more attention in conducting culturally informed and responsive screening, assessment and treatment.
Subject(s)
Asian/psychology , Black or African American/psychology , Hispanic or Latino/psychology , Psychotic Disorders/ethnology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Caribbean Region/ethnology , Female , Humans , Interview, Psychological , Male , Middle Aged , Prevalence , Psychotic Disorders/epidemiology , United States/epidemiologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, Asians/Asian Americans have experienced co-occurring threats of anti-Asian racism, economic challenges, and negative mental and physical health symptoms. OBJECTIVES: We examined the co-occurrence of COVID-19-related anti-Asian discrimination and collective racism, economic stressors, and mental and physical health challenges for Asians/Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also examined Asian/Asian American subgroups associated with these threats. METHODS: Nationally representative data from the 2021 Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander COVID-19 Needs Assessment Project (unweighted N = 3,508) were used to conduct a latent profile analysis to identify unique typologies of the co-occurrence of these threats. We also conducted chi-square analyses to investigate subgroup differences by latent profile. RESULTS: We identified five distinct latent profiles: multi-threat impact, low impact, collective racism, health challenges, and economic/health challenges. Forty percent of Asians/Asian Americans were in the multi-threat impact profile, indicating high levels across COVID-19-related threats. Subgroup analyses revealed significant differences in profile membership. East Asians, US-born Asians/Asian Americans, and those aged 25-44 seemed to be particularly affected by the proposed syndemic; results also differed by income. CONCLUSION: Asians/Asian Americans have experienced co-occurring and interrelated threats during COVID-19 that suggest the presence of a syndemic. Results from our study point to vulnerable Asian/Asian American subgroups and the need for targeted public health efforts to address racism, health challenges, and economic challenges in the context of COVID-19.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Racism , Humans , COVID-19/epidemiology , Asian , Syndemic , PandemicsABSTRACT
Prior to the 2021 American Psychologist special issue "Rendered Invisible: Are Asian Americans a Model or a Marginalized Minority?" (Yip et al., 2021), only seven articles on Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) populations were published in the journal in 3 decades. The special issue interrogated sources of invisibility and marginalization of AANHPIs not only in the field of psychology but also in the broader national landscape. The current commentary provides a deeper dive into one of the primary drivers of AANHPI invisibility, anti-Asian biases encountered during the federal grant review process, which contributes to low funding rates and insufficient research on AANHPI communities. Despite comprising over 6% of the U.S. population, less than 1% of the National Institutes of Health's funding portfolio supports science on AANHPI populations. This qualitative study revealed thematic barriers encountered during National Institutes of Health grant reviews. A one-time survey was circulated to professional scientific networks to obtain open-ended responses regarding applicants' and reviewers' experiences proposing research with AANHPI samples, resulting in data from N = 16 respondents. Respondents were asked to indicate their role in the review process (e.g., investigator, applicant, reviewer, other) and to provide open-ended responses detailing experiences of bias. Thematic coding revealed six principal themes: (1) invalidation, (2) limited reviewer knowledge, (3) oppression Olympics, (4) White comparison groups, (5) model minority myth, and (6) homogeneity of AANHPI groups. Building off these themes, this commentary concludes with five actionable policy and institutional recommendations aimed at achieving a more inclusive national research enterprise for AANHPI investigators and communities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Subject(s)
Asian , Humans , United States , Asian/psychology , Racism , Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander/psychology , National Institutes of Health (U.S.) , Financing, GovernmentABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: We assess whether posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) varies in prevalence, diagnostic criteria endorsement, and type and frequency of potentially traumatic events (PTEs) among a nationally representative US sample of 5071 non-Latino whites, 3264 Latinos, 2178 Asians, 4249 African Americans, and 1476 Afro-Caribbeans. METHODS: PTSD and other psychiatric disorders were evaluated using the World Mental Health-Composite International Diagnostic Interview (WMH-CIDI) in a national household sample that oversampled ethnic/racial minorities (n=16,238) but was weighted to produce results representative of the general population. RESULTS: Asians have lower prevalence rates of probable lifetime PTSD, whereas African Americans have higher rates as compared with non-Latino whites, even after adjusting for type and number of exposures to traumatic events, and for sociodemographic, clinical, and social support factors. Afro-Caribbeans and Latinos seem to demonstrate similar risk to non-Latino whites, adjusting for these same covariates. Higher rates of probable PTSD exhibited by African Americans and lower rates for Asians, as compared with non-Latino whites, do not appear related to differential symptom endorsement, differences in risk or protective factors, or differences in types and frequencies of PTEs across groups. CONCLUSIONS: There appears to be marked differences in conditional risk of probable PTSD across ethnic/racial groups. Questions remain about what explains risk of probable PTSD. Several factors that might account for these differences are discussed, as well as the clinical implications of our findings. Uncertainty of the PTSD diagnostic assessment for Latinos and Asians requires further evaluation.
Subject(s)
Ethnicity/statistics & numerical data , Racial Groups/statistics & numerical data , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/ethnology , Adolescent , Adult , Black or African American/psychology , Black or African American/statistics & numerical data , Aged , Asian/psychology , Asian/statistics & numerical data , Ethnicity/psychology , Female , Hispanic or Latino/psychology , Hispanic or Latino/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Male , Mental Disorders/ethnology , Middle Aged , Patient Acuity , Prevalence , Racial Groups/psychology , Risk Factors , Social Support , Socioeconomic Factors , United States/epidemiology , Young AdultABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Disaggregated data on the mental health of Asian/Asian American people are needed to inform public health interventions related to reports of racism during the COVID-19 pandemic. We describe the prevalence of psychological distress and unmet mental health needs among Asian/Asian American adults during the COVID-19 pandemic across various sociodemographic subgroups. METHODS: We used cross-sectional, weighted data from the US-based 2021 Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander COVID-19 Needs Assessment Study (unweighted n = 3508) to estimate prevalence rates of psychological distress and unmet mental health needs, overall and by nativity status. We conducted population-weighted multivariable logistic regression analyses to examine sociodemographic factors associated with these mental health outcomes. RESULTS: About one-third (1419 of 3508) of Asian/Asian American adults (32.9%; 95% CI, 30.6%-35.2%) reported psychological distress; odds of psychological distress were increased among adults who were female, trans, and nonbinary; aged 18-44 years; US-born; Cambodian; multiracial; and low income. Of those reporting psychological distress (638 of 1419), 41.8% (95% CI, 37.8%-45.8%) reported unmet mental health needs; unmet mental health needs were highest among Asian/Asian American adults who were aged 18-24 years; Korean, Japanese, and Cambodian; US-born female; non-US-born young adults; and non-US-born with ≥bachelor's degree. CONCLUSIONS: The mental health of Asian/Asian American people is an important public health concern, with some groups more vulnerable and in need of services than others. Mental health resources need to be designed for vulnerable subgroups, and cultural and systemic barriers to mental health care need to be addressed.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Health Services Needs and Demand , Mental Health Services , Female , Humans , Male , Young Adult , Asian/psychology , COVID-19/epidemiology , Cross-Sectional Studies , Mental Health , Pandemics , United States/epidemiology , Adolescent , AdultABSTRACT
Asian Americans are less likely than Whites to seek mental care and when they do, there is a substantial delay in help-seeking. Stigma associated with mental health service use is one of the major barriers to help-seeking among Asian Americans. However, few studies have examined multi-layered contextual predictors of stigma to examine joint as well as unique contributions of each predictor. Using a cross-sectional study of 376 Filipino and 412 Korean American parents from the Midwestern U.S., we investigated how individual, familial, ethnic cultural, and macro level factors were associated with stigma among immigrant parents. The findings from hierarchical regressions suggest that familial and ethnic cultural factors are prominent predictors of stigma among Korean Americans, whereas macro level factors are particularly pertinent to Filipino Americans. This study highlights the significance of subgroup specific interventions to be effective in addressing unmet mental care needs in distinct subgroups of Asian Americans.
Subject(s)
Asian , Mental Health Services , Patient Acceptance of Health Care , Social Stigma , Humans , Asian/ethnology , Asian/psychology , Cross-Sectional Studies , Parents/psychology , Patient Acceptance of Health Care/ethnology , Patient Acceptance of Health Care/psychology , Emigrants and Immigrants/psychologyABSTRACT
Despite mounting evidence for a strong and persistent association between socioeconomic status (SES) and health, this relationship is largely unknown among Asian immigrants, a fast growing minority group in the US population. Previous research has typically focused on objective SES (primarily education and income) and ignored self-perceived SES. Using data from the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS) (N = 1,570), we examined the impact of subjective as well as objective SES upon multiple self-reported health outcomes among Asian immigrants. Results indicated that conventional SES indicators by and large were non-significantly related to self-rated physical health, physical discomfort, self-rated mental health, and psychological distress. In contrast, subjective SES relative to people in the United States and people in the community showed strong associations with health outcomes above and beyond conventional SES markers. This study suggested a promising avenue to incorporate subjective SES in health disparities research, especially among immigrants.
Subject(s)
Emigrants and Immigrants/statistics & numerical data , Health Status , Social Class , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Asia/ethnology , Data Collection , Female , Health Status Disparities , Humans , Male , Mental Health , Middle Aged , Self Report , Stress, Psychological/ethnology , United States , Young AdultABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To test the association between racial discrimination and cardiovascular-related conditions and whether PTSD mediates this relationship in a nationally representative sample of non-Hispanic Blacks. METHODS: We used data from the 2013 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions to conduct logistic regression analyses to examine the association between racial discrimination, PTSD, and cardiovascular-related conditions. We also performed mediation analyses to assess whether the association between racial discrimination and cardiovascular conditions was partly explained by PTSD. RESULTS: Racial discrimination was positively associated with both PTSD and cardiovascular-related conditions. Additionally, PTSD was positively associated with cardiovascular conditions. Results from the fully adjusted mediation models suggest that PTSD significantly mediated the association between racial discrimination and cardiovascular conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate an association between racial discrimination and cardiovascular-related conditions that is significantly mediated by PTSD. To improve cardiovascular functioning among non-Hispanic Blacks, health care professionals in conjunction with Black communities must adopt culturally competent screening for and treatment for PTSD. To address racial differences in cardiovascular conditions, public health efforts must address institutional policies that negatively alter health opportunities among the Black population.
Subject(s)
Racism , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic , Black or African American , Humans , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/epidemiology , United States/epidemiologyABSTRACT
Purpose: COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy exists in communities of color who are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. In many states, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHs/PIs) experience the highest rates of COVID-19 confirmed cases and mortality among U.S. ethnic/racial groups. National trends regarding vaccine hesitancy among NHs/PIs are currently lacking. Methods: Data were derived from the Asian American and NH/PI COVID-19 Needs Assessment Project, a national survey conducted during January-April 2021. The final analytic sample included 868 NH/PI adults. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to estimate odds ratios for vaccine hesitancy. Results: Vaccine hesitancy ranged from 23% among Other PIs to 56.3% among Tongan adults. Younger adults (18-24 and 25-44 years), those with lower educational attainment, and those with lower income were more vaccine hesitant. Overall, education and income showed a strong association with vaccine hesitancy in bivariate logistic models. However, the associations between vaccine hesitancy and education and income varied by NH/PI groups. NHs, Samoans, and Multiethnic NHs/PIs showed the most consistent associations between the socioeconomic position variables and vaccine hesitancy. Conclusions: The examination of vaccine hesitancy among NHs/PIs follows the socioeconomic gradient for some ethnic groups but not others. More studies are needed to determine what other socioeconomic indicators may be associated with health among specific NH/PI ethnic groups. Policy Implications: Reforms are needed to overcome structural racism underlying NH/PI evidence production, which currently renders NHs/PIs invisible. Innovative solutions based on successful community efforts can help deconstruct racist data inequities experienced by NHs/PIs.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Pasifika (Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander) people living in the United States experience health, economic, and social inequities, and a disproportionate burden of COVID-19 cases and deaths. This study examines employment among Pasifika living in the 10 US states with the largest Pasifika populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We use the Current Population Survey to examine racial differences in employment status, paid work from home (PWFH), and industry telework friendliness. We use data from the Washington Office of Fiscal Management and the Washington State (WA) Employment Security Department to examine county-level unemployment claims. Results: Nationally, Pasifika did not self-report unemployment significantly more than Black, Latino, Asian, and American Indian/Alaska Native respondents, but in WA counties with high Pasifika concentrations, unemployment insurance claim rates were higher compared with all other racial groups, particularly Whites and Asians. Surprisingly, Pasifika had more PWFH opportunities, but worked in less telework-friendly industries nationally. Discussion: This study demonstrates the complexity of employment among Pasifika during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings correspond with national reports of racialized communities impacted by unemployment, including Pasifika. Marginally significant differences in unemployment nationally may be due to Pasifika working largely in essential industries requiring workplace attendance. Health Equity Implications: Although overlooked or overshadowed by size, our findings highlight the need for continued advocacy to support data disaggregation and Pasifika data sovereignty. This can be achieved through collaborations between researchers as well as local and community organizations to address data needs of Pasifika communities.
ABSTRACT
Although climate change poses a threat to health and well-being globally, a regional approach to addressing climate-related health equity may be more suitable, appropriate, and appealing to under-resourced communities and countries. In support of this argument, this commentary describes an approach by a network of researchers, practitioners, and policymakers dedicated to promoting climate-related health equity in Small Island Developing States and low- and middle-income countries in the Pacific. We identify three primary sets of needs related to developing a regional capacity to address physical and mental health disparities through research, training, and assistance in policy and practice implementation: (1) limited healthcare facilities and qualified medical and mental health providers; (2) addressing the social impacts related to the cooccurrence of natural hazards, disease outbreaks, and complex emergencies; and (3) building the response capacity and resilience to climate-related extreme weather events and natural hazards.