Sources of Health Information Among Select Asian American Immigrant Groups in New York City.
Health information can potentially mitigate adverse health outcomes among ethnic minority populations, but little research has examined how minorities access health information. The aim of this study was to examine variations in the use of health information sources among Asian American (AA) subgroups and to identify differences in characteristics associated with the use of these sources. We analyzed data from a foreign-born community sample of 219 Asian Indians, 216 Bangladeshis, 484 Chinese, and 464 Koreans living in New York City. Results found that use of health information sources varied by AA subgroup. Print media source use, which included newspapers, magazines, and/or journals, was highest among Chinese (84%), Koreans (75%), and Bangladeshis (80%), while radio was most utilized by Chinese (48%) and Koreans (38%). Television utilization was highest among Bangladeshis (74%) and Koreans (64%). Koreans (52%) and Chinese (40%) were most likely to use the Internet to access health information. Radio use was best explained by older age and longer time lived in the United States, while print media were more utilized by older individuals. Results also highlighted differences in native-language versus non-native-language media sources for health information by subgroup. Media sources can be used as a vehicle to disseminate health information among AAs.
a Department of Population Health , New York University School of Medicine.
Nadia S
NS
Islam
a Department of Population Health , New York University School of Medicine.
Shilpa
S
Patel
a Department of Population Health , New York University School of Medicine.
Laura C
LC
Wyatt
b Research and Evaluation Unit , Charles B. Wang Community Health Center.
Shao-Chee
SC
Sim
c Department of Psychology , SUNY Old Westbury.
Runi
R
Mukherjee-Ratnam
d Korean Community Services of Metro NY, Inc.
Kay
K
Chun
e New York Taxi Workers Alliance.
Bhairavi
B
Desai
f Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine & Center for Community Health , Institute for Public Health and Medicine.
S Darius
SD
Tandon
a Department of Population Health , New York University School of Medicine.
Chau
C
Trinh-Shevrin
g Department of Pediatrics , New York University School of Medicine.
Henry
H
Pollack
a Department of Population Health , New York University School of Medicine.
Simona C
SC
Kwon
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D001213:Asian / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001459:Bangladesh / Q000208:ethnology; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D057226:Information Seeking Behavior; D020407:Internet; D007723:Korea / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008402:Mass Media / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D009519:New York City; D055815:Young Adult