Ethnicity Matters: The Socioeconomic Gradient in Health among Asian Americans

Authors

Emily S. Ihara, George Mason University

Keywords

Asian Americans, socioeconomic position, health status, health disparities, CHIS

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between socioeconomic indicators and health status among Asian Americans using data from the 2001 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), a population-based random-digit-dial survey with race-ethnic supplemental samples. Multivariate logistic regression analyses show that the inverse relationship between socioeconomic position and health status is similar for Asian Americans when measured as an aggregate group compared to Whites. However, when specific Asian American ethnic groups are examined, the relationship varies greatly. For example, among Chinese Americans and Vietnamese Americans, education is a significant predictor of poor health status, but household income is more significant among Korean Americans. The importance of disaggregation for subgroup populations in research and policy is discussed.

Recommended Citation

Ihara, Emily S. (2009) "Ethnicity Matters: The Socioeconomic Gradient in Health among Asian Americans," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 36: Iss. 2, Article 8.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.3432
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol36/iss2/8