Health status of Asian Americans: United States, 1992-94.

OBJECTIVES This report compares the health status of selected Asian national origin groups. METHODS 1992-94 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data were analyzed for six Asian national origin groups (Chinese, Filipino, Asian Indian, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Korean), the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) population as a whole, and the non-Hispanic white population. Unadjusted and age-adjusted estimates and standard errors of health indicators and sociodemographic characteristics were generated. A broad range of health issues was studied including respondent-assessed health status, activity limitation, physician contacts, restricted activity days, hospital episodes, smoking status, and knowledge of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). RESULTS A greater age-adjusted percent of Vietnamese (17.2 percent) and Korean (12.8 percent) persons had fair or poor respondent-assessed health status than persons of Chinese, Filipino, and Japanese descent (6.1-7.4 percent). A lower age-adjusted percent of Chinese persons (6.5 percent) experienced activity limitation compared with Filipino, Japanese, and Vietnamese persons (9.4-13.2 percent). Japanese persons (4.9 contacts) had a greater average annual number of physician contacts than Chinese persons (3.1 contacts) after age adjusting the data. When the data were age adjusted, a higher percent of Korean adults (22.5 percent) were current smokers than Chinese (10.0 percent) and Asian Indian adults (8.7 percent). A higher age-adjusted percent of Vietnamese (21.2 percent) and Asian Indian (18.0 percent) adults reported knowing nothing about AIDS compared with Japanese adults (5.1 percent). A greater proportion of Vietnamese adults (91.6 percent) had not been tested for the AIDS virus infection compared with Chinese, Filipino, Asian Indian, and Japanese adults (72.6-78.5 percent) after age adjusting the data. CONCLUSIONS Differences in health emerge when data on the API population are analyzed by national origin group. Estimates of health presented for the API population as a whole mask differences among subgroups.