HEALTH RISKS AND BEHAVIORS
The health problems and risk factors that disproportionately affect Asian Americans include cancer, diabetes, hepatitis B, depression, and tobacco-related illnesses.140 Asians and Pacific Islanders are the only US racial/ethnic populations to experience cancer as the leading cause of death.138 Asian Americans have a 60% higher prevalence of diabetes than non-Hispanic Whites141 and the highest hepatitis B infection rates compared with other ethnicities.142 Although 30% of Asian American girls in grades 5-12 reported more depression symptoms than their non-Asian counterparts,143 Asian American children are less likely to receive mental healthcare.144 Asian American women over 65 have the highest suicide rates among US women in that age group.145 Adult Asian American men have the highest smoking rates.146
Compared with all other US women, Asian American women are the least likely to have ever undergone mammography, even though breast cancer is among the most commonly diagnosed cancers in this group.147
Asian Americans face many barriers to healthcare including lack of insurance, lack of acculturation, limited English proficiency,148 and their own cultural norms. Approximately 14.6% of Asian Americans are uninsured.149 Less-acculturated Asian women with access barriers to care are less likely to be screened for breast cancer.150 As seen with other subgroups, there can be a lack of trust in research and individuals who may not belong to their racial/ethnic group.
