title: Asthma in a Vietnamese refugee population.
abstract: Asians and Pacific Islanders comprise a large and growing minority group in the United States, yet data on health status specific to these populations are scant. We conducted an epidemiologic study of asthma in a Vietnamese refugee population to estimate prevalence, evaluate risk factors, and better understand treatments of asthma among Vietnamese individuals. One hundred twenty-four asthma cases were identified from a population of 2,536 new Vietnamese refugees in San Diego (prevalence = 49 per 1,000; 4.9%). Two nonasthmatic control groups of Vietnamese refugees, matched for age and gender with the asthma cases, were recruited for a case-control study, using a questionnaire administered in Vietnamese. Vietnamese asthmatic individuals used both Western and non-Western therapies. Most subjects used traditional health practices, such as coining, cupping, and oil inhalation. As compared with current-refugee controls, the asthmatic subjects used significantly more bleeding (OR: 3.40; 95% CI: 1.06 to 10.80) and herbal ingestion (OR: 1.87; 95% CI: 1.08 to 3.19). As compared with former-refugee controls, the asthmatic subjects used significantly more oil inhalation (OR: 2.58; 95% CI: 1.45 to 4.85), bleeding (OR: 8.64, 95% CI: 1.02 to 73.70), and herbal ingestion (OR: 1.93; 95% CI: 1.02 to 3.67). The presentation and recognition of asthma among the Vietnamese subjects were similar to those in other populations. This information may be helpful in designing culture-specific health-education programs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, USA.
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Ries
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Picchi
authors.forename: L H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Moser
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Molgaard
authors.forename: S I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Wasserman
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000208:ethnology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012036:Refugees; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014744:Vietnam / Q000208:ethnology