Journal of immigrant and minority health
-
J Immigr Minor Health · Feb 2021
Self-Reported Prevalence of Hypertension and Antihypertensive Medication Use Among Asian Americans: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2013, 2015 and 2017.
Asian Americans are one of the fastest growing races in the US. The objectives of this report were to assess self-reported hypertension prevalence and treatment among Asian Americans. Merging 2013, 2015, and 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data, we estimated self-reported hypertension and antihypertensive medication use among non-Hispanic Asian Americans (NHA) and compared estimates between NHA and non-Hispanic whites (NHW), and by NHA subgroup (Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese/other). ⋯ Among NHA subgroups, a wide range of hypertension prevalence and medication use was found. Overall NHA had a lower reported prevalence of hypertension and use of antihypertensive medication than NHW. Certain NHA subgroups had a burden comparable to high-risk disparate populations.
-
J Immigr Minor Health · Feb 2021
Potential Impact of COVID-19 on Recently Resettled Refugee Populations in the United States and Canada: Perspectives of Refugee Healthcare Providers.
Recently resettled refugee populations may be at greater risk for exposure to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a virus that causes coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), and face unique challenges in following recommendations to protect their health. Several factors place resettled refugees at elevated risk for exposure to persons with COVID-19 or increased severity of COVID-19: being more likely to experience poverty and live in crowded housing, being employed in less protected, service-sector jobs, experiencing language and health care access barriers, and having higher rates of co-morbidities. In preparing for and managing COVID-19, resettled refugees encounter similar barriers to those of other racial or ethnic minority populations, which may then be exacerbated by unique barriers experienced from being a refugee. Key recommendations for resettlement and healthcare providers include analyzing sociodemographic data about refugee patients, documenting and resolving barriers faced by refugees, developing refugee-specific outreach plans, using culturally and linguistically appropriate resources, ensuring medical interpretation availability, and leveraging virtual platforms along with nontraditional community partners to disseminate COVID-19 messaging.