APA Health CARE: A Student-Led Initiative Addressing Health Care Barriers Faced by the Asian and Pacific Islander American Immigrant Population in Los Angeles

Hong-Ho Yang; Won Jong Chwa; Sharon B Yuen; Jeffrey D Huynh; Janine S Chan; Amit Kumar; Suraj A Dhanjani; Gilbert C Gee; Burton O Cowgill

doi:10.1007/s10900-020-00915-8

APA Health CARE: A Student-Led Initiative Addressing Health Care Barriers Faced by the Asian and Pacific Islander American Immigrant Population in Los Angeles

J Community Health. 2021 Apr;46(2):367-379. doi: 10.1007/s10900-020-00915-8.

Authors

Hong-Ho Yang¹, Won Jong Chwa², Sharon B Yuen³, Jeffrey D Huynh⁴, Janine S Chan⁵, Amit Kumar⁶, Suraj A Dhanjani⁷, Gilbert C Gee⁸, Burton O Cowgill^{9

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Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
² Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
³ Department of Asian American Studies, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁴ Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁵ Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁶ Department of Physiological Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁷ The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
⁸ Department of Community Health Sciences, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁹ Department of Health Policy and Management, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. bcowgill@ucla.edu.
¹⁰ UCLA Department of Health Policy and Management, 650 Charles Young Drive South, A2-125 CHS, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA. bcowgill@ucla.edu.

PMID: 32909155
DOI: 10.1007/s10900-020-00915-8

Abstract

Asian and Pacific Islander Americans face cultural, linguistic, and financial barriers to accessing health care. APA Health CARE (APAHC), a UCLA student-led organization, attempts to bridge these disparities through free community health screenings, health education seminars, and follow-up procedures. From 2011 to 2018, participants' demographic and health-related information were recorded during health fairs and follow-up phone calls. Trends in participant characteristics were analyzed over time. Health fair data were compared to data from follow-up phone calls to assess the effectiveness of health fair education and referral practices. 5635 participants from 69 health fairs were screened over the 8-year period. Follow-up contact was attempted for 2258 participants, of which 555 responded. Over time, a greater proportion of participants reported higher income, health insurance, and access to a regular doctor. Of those contacted at follow-up, 32.3% reported visiting a doctor, 50.2% reported making lifestyle changes, and 68.0% of those who were uninsured at health fairs reported obtaining health insurance within 1 month of attendance. Despite an observed increase in the proportion of participants having insurance and a regular doctor, health fair attendance remained consistent, possibly due to Asian American immigrants' preference for services that are convenient and linguistically and culturally accessible. Attendees reported visiting a physician, making lifestyle changes, and obtaining health insurance based on health fair referrals, suggesting measurable success with referral uptake and follow through. Student-led initiatives similar to APAHC can serve as catalysts to increase health literacy and motivate communities to seek health insurance and care.

Keywords: Asian and Pacific islander; Health education; Health fairs; Immigrants; Language barriers.

MeSH terms

Asian
Emigrants and Immigrants*
Health Services Accessibility
Humans
Los Angeles
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander*
Students

Grants and funding

P2C HD041022/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States