This ground-breaking textbook examines Asian American health from a public health perspective. It provides an overview of the social, political, economic, and cultural forces that influence the distribution of disease and illness in Asian American communities. The book explores the diversity within the Asian community with respect to health seeking behavior and knowledge, socioeconomic status, educational level, cultural traditions, and specific health care needs and issues. By examining the contextual factors that impact health, the book seeks to facilitate a meaningful dialogue and identify creative solutions for health disparities faced by racial and ethnic minority communities.
Praise for Asian American Communities and Health
"This textbook provides a detailed and lucid examination of key health issues from more than 40 leading researchers and community advocates in Asian American health, all of whom agree on the need for contextual and multi-level analyses and interventions to reduce health disparities in Asian American populations. Unlike other books on the health of immigrant and minority populations, this textbook illustrates the critical role of factors ranging from social capital, migration patterns, culture, acculturation histories, racism and discrimination, and policies on health and health disparities. Trinh-Shevrin, Islam, and Rey have made an important contribution to the minority health and health disparities literature."
—Ichiro Kawachi, MD, PhD, professor of social epidemiology and chair, Department of Society, Human Development, and Health, Harvard School of Public Health
"This book affirms the thirty-five years of experience of Asian Health Services and challenges our health care system to do better."
—Sherry Hirota, CEO, Asian Health Services
"Asian American Communities and Health is not only for students, scholars, researchers, advocates,?and practitioners?of public health. The essays in the book add?the academic discipline of?public health to Asian American Studies (AAS), while?fulfilling?the AASAS founding principle of directly serving the Asian American community with?their research and findings."
—Lorraine Dong, PhD, professor and chair, Asian American Studies Department, College of Ethnic Studies, San Francisco State University
"For all who are committed to social justice in the United States but have limited understanding of Asian Americans—politicians, policy-makers, program planners, administrators, researchers, and service providers—this book is an eye-opener to the plight of this and other minorities in seeking parity in a broken social, political, and health care system."
—Jane S. Lin-Fu, MD, former chief, Genetic Services?Branch, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, HRSA, USDHHS
