Department of Pediatrics, UMDNJ/RWJMS, One Robert Wood Johnson Place, MEB-322, New Brunswick, NJ 08903-0019, USA.
J Community Health. 2012 Apr;37(2):328-34. doi: 10.1007/s10900-011-9449-4.
Although successful utilization of medical and preventive care by members of the non-US born communities is an important public health concern, our knowledge regarding health practices of different ethnic subgroups is limited. In the present study, participants of the health fairs organized during South Asian cultural and religions events were asked anonymously to complete the South Asian Total Health Initiative (SATHI) health survey questionnaire to evaluate their health-related practices, self-health perception, and satisfaction with medical care. Among 1,250 surveyed, 1,016 foreign born Asian Indians adults that represented the fastest growing subgroups of the South Asian born nationals in the US were included in the analysis. We found that the majority reported healthy behavior (exercise activities and abstinence from alcohol or tobacco), high self-health perception, satisfaction with medical care, and compliance with annual routine medical examinations that was directly associated with the annual house income. Approximately 40% of women complied with breast and cervical cancer screenings and less than 20% of men complied with prostate cancer screening guidelines. Presence of chronic conditions (mostly cardiovascular pathology and/or diabetes) that were reported by approximately half of the participants negatively impacted their self-health perception. In conclusion, positive self-reported health perception and compliance with routine health examinations of the surveyed foreign born Asian Indians was reported along with an increased rate of chronic morbidity and underutilization of specific preventive services. Observed discrepancy between self-health perception and health status highlights the need to enhance utilization of preventive services among the non-US born Asian Indian community.
尽管非美国出生的人群能否成功利用医疗和预防保健服务是一个重要的公共卫生关注点，但我们对不同族裔亚人群体的健康行为的了解有限。在本研究中，在南亚文化和宗教活动期间组织的健康博览会上，要求参与者匿名填写南亚整体健康倡议（SATHI）健康调查问卷调查他们的与健康相关的行为、自我健康感知和对医疗保健的满意度。在接受调查的 1250 人中，有 1016 名外国出生的印度裔成年人被纳入分析，他们代表了美国南亚出生人口中增长最快的亚人群体。我们发现，大多数人报告了健康的行为（锻炼活动和不饮酒或吸烟）、高自我健康感知、对医疗保健的满意度以及对年度常规医疗检查的依从性，这与年度家庭收入直接相关。大约 40%的女性符合乳腺癌和宫颈癌筛查标准，而不到 20%的男性符合前列腺癌筛查指南。大约一半的参与者报告存在慢性疾病（主要是心血管病理学和/或糖尿病），这对他们的自我健康感知产生了负面影响。总之，调查中报告的外国出生的印度裔人群的自我报告的健康感知和对常规健康检查的依从性较好，同时慢性发病率和特定预防服务的利用率较低。自我健康感知和健康状况之间存在的差异表明，需要提高非美国出生的印度裔社区对预防服务的利用率。
