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A Health Profile and Overview of Healthcare Experiences of Cambodian American Refugees and Immigrants Residing in Southern California

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Abstract

Asian Americans are understudied in health research and often aggregated into one homogenous group, thereby disguising disparities across subgroups. Cambodian Americans, one of the largest refugee communities in the United States, may be at high risk for adverse health outcomes. This study compares the health status and healthcare experiences of Cambodian American refugees and immigrants. Data were collected via questionnaires and medical records from two community clinics in Southern California (n = 308). Chi square and t-tests examined the socio-demographic differences between immigrants and refugees, and ANCOVA models compared the mean differences in responses for each outcome, adjusting for age at immigration, education level, and clinic site. Cambodian American refugees reported overall lower levels of health-related quality of life (all p’s < 0.05 in unadjusted models) and self-rated health [unadjusted means (SD) = 18.2 (16.8) vs. 21.7 (13.7), p < 0.05], but either similar or more positive healthcare experiences than Cambodian American immigrants. In adjusted analyses, refugees had higher rates of diabetes and cardiovascular disease risk (e.g. heart condition and hypertension; p’s < 0.05) compared to Cambodian American immigrants. There were minimal differences in self-reported health behaviors between the two groups. There is a need for more health promotion efforts among Cambodian American refugees and immigrants to improve their health outcomes and perceived wellbeing.

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Funding

This study was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (Grant No. R01 MH091221), National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (Grant No. UL1 TR0001414), Maternal and Child Health Bureau (Grant No. T16MC06956), and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) University of California Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disorders Training Program (Grant No. T73MC30114).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Mienah Zulfacar Sharif

  2. Department of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA

    Kelly Biegler & Dara H. Sorkin

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA

    Richard Mollica

  4. Many Roads Studios, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Susan Elliot Sim

  5. The Children’s Clinic, Serving Children and Their Families, Long Beach, CA, USA

    Elisa Nicholas & Maria Chandler

  6. Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA

    Elisa Nicholas & Maria Chandler

  7. US Preventive Services Task Force Program, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD, USA

    Quyen Ngo-Metzger

  8. Community Medical Wellness Centers, Long Beach, CA, USA

    Kittya Paigne & Sompia Paigne

Authors
  1. Mienah Zulfacar Sharif
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  2. Kelly Biegler
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  3. Richard Mollica
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  4. Susan Elliot Sim
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  5. Elisa Nicholas
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  6. Maria Chandler
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  7. Quyen Ngo-Metzger
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  8. Kittya Paigne
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  9. Sompia Paigne
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  10. Dara H. Sorkin
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Correspondence to Mienah Zulfacar Sharif.

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The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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Sharif, M.Z., Biegler, K., Mollica, R. et al. A Health Profile and Overview of Healthcare Experiences of Cambodian American Refugees and Immigrants Residing in Southern California. J Immigrant Minority Health 21, 346–355 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-018-0736-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-018-0736-3

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