The health status of Vietnamese immigrants in Hawaii from chart records.
OBJECTIVE
We determined the most common diseases among adult Vietnamese men and women in Hawaii.


METHODS
A chart review of 952 adult Vietnamese patients was conducted between January and February 2000. A data collection form with 39 categories of diagnosed chronic illnesses or problems was used. The study was conducted at a Vietnamese internist's private medical office in Honolulu, HI.


RESULTS
Chart review revealed that the five most prevalent diagnostic conditions seen in Vietnamese men, from the highest to lowest frequency, were gastrointestinal disorders (39%), cutaneous conditions (31%), lower back pain (23%), headache (18%), and allergies (18%). In women, gastrointestinal disorders (38%), cutaneous conditions (34%), headache (32%), gynecologic conditions (30%), and arthritic diseases (24%) were most common. Gender, years of U.S. arrival, and types of occupation were significantly correlated with certain diseases (p< or =0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
This is the first study to examine frequency of diseases diagnosed in an ambulatory care setting in a cohort of Vietnamese patients in Hawaii.
Nguyen
Ly T
LT
Department of Surgery, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Manoa, HI 96813, USA. nguyenl2002@yahoo.com
Withy
Kelley
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001213:Asian / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D006254:Hawaii / Q000453:epidemiology; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D014744:Vietnam / Q000208:ethnology