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Comparing Selected Measures of Health Outcomes and Health-Seeking Behaviors in Chinese, Cambodian, and Vietnamese Communities of Chicago: Results from Local Health Surveys

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Abstract

We describe how local community organizations partnered to conduct a survey in the Chinese, Cambodian, and Vietnamese populations of Chicago to compare health outcomes and assess progress toward Healthy People 2010 goals. Interviews were conducted with 380 randomly selected Chinese adults through door-to-door sampling, and with 250 Cambodian adults and 150 Vietnamese adults through respondent-driven sampling. Data on 14 key health outcomes are described for this analysis. The three surveyed communities were generally poorer, less educated, more often foreign-born, and had less English proficiency than Asians nationally. There were few significant variations among the three populations, but there were notable differences in the burden of tuberculosis, obesity, diabetes, and arthritis. Insurance coverage and cancer-screening utilization were also significantly lower than for US Asians. Health information about Chinese, Cambodian, and Vietnamese populations in Chicago are available for the first time and serve as baseline data for community interventions. Findings highlight important health concerns for these populations and have implications for funders and policy makers in allocating resources, setting health priorities, and addressing health disparities.

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Acknowledgments

The surveys were funded by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), United Way, and The Retirement Research Foundation. In particular, we would like to thank Dr. Eric Whitaker, former Director of IDPH, for his unwavering support and commitment to this project. We received valuable sampling advice and guidance on calculating weights for the survey in Armour Square from Tim Johnson, PhD, Ingrid Graf, MPH, MBA, and Karen R., PhD from the Survey Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Chicago. We also thank Richard Campbell, PhD, from the University of Illinois at Chicago and Douglas Heckathorn, PhD, from Cornell University for their technical support in employing RDS techniques. Authors acknowledge colleagues at the Sinai Urban Health Institute, especially Dr. Steven Whitman, for their continued support and feedback throughout the entire process.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sinai Urban Health Institute, Chicago, IL, USA

    Ami M. Shah

  2. John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, Chicago, IL, USA

    Lucy Guo

  3. Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    Matthew Magee

  4. Rush Medical College, Rush University, Chicago, IL, USA

    William Cheung

  5. Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA

    Melissa Simon

  6. Asian Health Coalition of Illinois, Chicago, IL, USA

    Amanda LaBreche

  7. Midwest Asian Health Association, Chicago, IL, USA

    Hong Liu

Authors
  1. Ami M. Shah
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  2. Lucy Guo
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  3. Matthew Magee
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  4. William Cheung
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  5. Melissa Simon
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  6. Amanda LaBreche
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  7. Hong Liu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ami M. Shah.

Additional information

This paper is based on the results of the survey project conducted by the Asian Health Coalition of Illinois (AHCI) in 2006–2008 in partnership with the Sinai Urban Health Institute (SUHI), the Chinese American Service league (CASL), the Chinese Mutual Aid Association (CMAA), and the Cambodian Association of Illinois (CAI). At the time the project was performed, L. Guo, M. Magee, W. Cheung, and H. Liu were all affiliated with AHCI. Authors especially acknowledge all staff and leadership of the community partners, most notably Esther Wong, Steve Brunton, Kompha Seth, Amy Hoskins, and Benjamin Rucker, without whom this study could not have been possible.

Hong Liu is with the Formerly Asian Health Coalition of Illinois, Chicago, IL, USA.

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Shah, A.M., Guo, L., Magee, M. et al. Comparing Selected Measures of Health Outcomes and Health-Seeking Behaviors in Chinese, Cambodian, and Vietnamese Communities of Chicago: Results from Local Health Surveys. J Urban Health 87, 813–826 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-010-9469-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-010-9469-x

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