Our Rationale
Currently, there are more than 22.4 million people who identify as Asian / Asian American in the US, composing 7% of the nation’s overall population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2019). Studies have shown that 19.4% of Asian adults– more than 3.3 million people– do not have a stable source of primary health care (Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations, 2005). In addition, 23% of Asian American children in North Carolina have untreated tooth decay, compared to 13% of white children (NC Department of Health and Human Services, 2018). People from Asia also made up 14% of the undocumented population within the US in 2017 and experience their own barriers to healthcare due to their immigration status (Budiman & Ruiz, 2021).
This challenges the “model minority” myth promoting that all Asians/Asian Americans outperform other groups in terms of socioeconomic success and standards of living. Historically, in health disparity studies, very little attention has been put on the Asian community. Thus, this cascades into Asian health disparities largely going unnoticed, and very few resources have been delegated to this cause. Individuals within this community are faced with numerous barriers that inhibit them from accessing equal and effective care. These barriers may include language, cultural misunderstandings, and lack of medical literacy.
Furthermore, when Asians/Asian Americans are included in health data, they are often categorized under a single entry. This further exacerbates health disparities within this community, as it is important to recognize the plethora of cultures and ethnicities housed under the “Asian community” umbrella. For example, while it was found that Asian Americans are less likely to live in poverty compared to the overall American population in 2019 (10% vs 13%), 12 out of the 19 Asian origin groups analyzed (63%) had poverty rates as high or higher than the 2019 US average (Budiman & Ruiz, 2021). To further illustrate these disparities within Asian groups, Mongolians had a poverty rate of 25% while Indians had a rate of 6% (Budiman & Ruiz, 2021).
This means that disparities within the entire Asian population are being completely ignored.
Here in North Carolina, the Asian demographic is the fastest-growing population group with a reported 44.6% increase in growth between 2010 and 2017 (Tippett, 2018). Specifically at UNC, 17% of undergraduate students, 10% of staff, 11% of faculty, and 30% of post-doctoral fellows identify as Asian/Asian American in 2017 (Hudson, 2020). Thus, as this community grows, we hope to establish the Asian Health Advocacy Alliance to support individuals in the community who are facing disparities pertaining to their health. We have first-handedly witnessed the immense need for accessible and culturally competent care through our volunteer work as Mandarin translators for UNC’s free clinic, SHAC. While this experience pertains specifically to the Chinese/Chinese American community, it gives us an insight into the needs of the broader Asian community especially those who do not even have access to resources like SHAC. Our mission is to improve the overall health of Asian and Asian Americans in the Triangle through advocacy, education, and community engagement, and thus address the unique healthcare disparities this population experiences.
We hold this cause very close to our hearts as we have personally experienced some form of health disparities mentioned above. This took form from carrying the responsibility of bridging the language barrier at very young ages to seeing the lack of empathy in health care providers towards concerns that are rooted in cultural beliefs.
~Jacqueline Gu and Angela Chen – Co-Founders
References
Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations. (2005). Health Centers’ Role in Reducing Health Disparities Among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders [Fact Sheet]. https://www.aapcho.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/AAPCHO_FactSheet-HealthCentersRoleinReducingHealthDisparities_Jan2005.pdf
Budiman, A., & Ruiz, N. G. (2021, April 29). Key facts about Asian Americans, a diverse and growing population. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/04/29/key-facts-about-asian-americans/
Hudson, S. (2020, Sept. 8). Asian American Center comes to Carolina, virtually. The Well. https://thewell.unc.edu/2020/09/08/asian-american-center-comes-to-carolina-virtually/
NC Department of Health and Human Services. (2018). Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities in North Carolina: North Carolina Health Equity Report 2018. https://schs.dph.ncdhhs.gov/SCHS/pdf/MinorityHealthReport_Web_2018.pdf
Tippett, R. (2018, Nov. 12). Fast-growing Asian population highly concentrated in NC urban areas. Carolina Demography. https://www.ncdemography.org/2018/11/02/fast-growing-asian-population-highly-concentrated-in-nc-urban-areas/
U.S. Census Bureau. (2019). Selected Population Profile in the United States (Table ID S0201). Retrieved from https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=S0201&t=031%20-%20Asian%20alone%20or%20in%20combination%20with%20one%20or%20more%20other%20races&tid=ACSSPP1Y2019.S0201.