Diabetes in Asian and Pacific Islander Americans

Asian and Pacific Islander Americans, although constituting <3% of the total U.S. population in 1990, comprise a very diverse group, with >20 population groups. The majority (~95%) are Asian, with the major categories being Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Asian Indian, Korean, and Vietnamese. These numbered almost 7 million in the 1990 U.S. Census. The major categories of Pacific Islanders are Hawaiian, Samoan, and Guamanian, numbering ~323,000 in the same census. Fiftysix percent of the Asian and Pacific Islander population lived in the West in 1990, and ~73% lived in just seven states (California, New York, Hawaii, Texas, Illinois, New Jersey, and Washington).