Asian-American elders’ health and physician use An examination of social determinants and lifespan influences英文文献资料.docVIP

Vol.4, No.11, 1106-1115 (2012) Health /10.4236/health.2012.411168 Asian-American elders’ health and physician use: An examination of social determinants and lifespan influences Duy Nguyen , Leigh J. Bernstein , Megha Goel 1* 2 1 1 2 Silver School of Social Work, New York University, New York, USA; Corresponding Author: duy.nguyen@ * Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, USA Received 1 September 2012; revised 7 October 2012; accepted 22 October 2012 ABSTRACT lives in America. Additionally, as a racial group affected by migration, Asian Americans face cultural challenges to health equity that compound the effects of social de- terminants of health. Despite rapid population growth, relatively little health research has focused on Asian Americans [2,3]. In order to address the needs of this growing population, further research must investigate the unique health circumstances of Asian Americans and how the considerable diversity within the population impacts health outcomes. This study focuses on health and physician use among Asian American elders in comparison to Whites, looking at how the aging process affects social determinants of health differently. In addition to age and ethnic back- ground, broader structural and intermediary determinants such as socioeconomic status, psychosocial, and envi- ronmental factors likely affect Asian Americans health status. Therefore, this study combines data from the 2005 and 2007 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) to determine health disparities by ethnic group and then apply a model of social determinants of health to analyze differences. While the Asian American population is growing rapidly, relatively little research has focused on intergroup health comparisons. The application of the life course perspective sheds new light