Information Gap

If you want to know the health status of Filipino-Americans at the national level, your search will likely produce zero information. National surveys such as NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey), NHIS (National Health Interview Survey), and BRFSS (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey) usually clump information on Filipino-Americans under an all-inclusive umbrella of Asian and Pacific Islander group. Many unique information about specific Asian and Pacific Islander groups are masked or lost as a result of such homogenizing grouping practice. Putting Asians under one group fails to acknowledge the sheer diversity of this group and overlooks the real needs, concerns, and issues that attend such heterogeneity. Health status in particular suffers when the dearth of information leads to inattentiveness from health providers, researchers, the government, and the community itself. Overlooked groups such as the Filipino-Americans are ill-served by the gaps in research and the resulting absence of interventions and support services that are responsive to their specific needs.

An article published in the Minority Nurse website illustrates the potential benefits of stimulating more interest and research in the health status of Filipino-Americans. Read the full article below:

Study Sheds New Light on Filipino Americans' Health Needs

Even though Filipino Americans are one of the fastest-growing immigrant populations in the U.S., relatively little research has been conducted on this minority group's health status, risk behaviors and health promotion practices. This lack of comprehensive and consistent data makes it extremely difficult for medical and nursing professionals to understand Filipino Americans' health care needs and develop culturally appropriate disease prevention strategies.
A recent study sponsored by the Philippine Nurses Association of Northern California has taken some important steps forward in beginning to fill this information gap. A bilingual (English/Tagalog) team of nurse researchers from the association surveyed a sample of 163 Filipino Americans at health fairs held in the San Francisco Bay Area. The participants were born in the Philippines but had lived in America for an average of 18.8 years; their average age was 58. They were asked to fill out a brief health survey with questions asked in English followed by a Tagalog translation in parentheses.
The study's results, published last year in The Journal of Multicultural Nursing & Health, found that the majority of respondents (70.6%) rated their overall health as "good"-despite the fact that many also reported being treated for medical conditions, such as hypertension, musculoskeletal disorders, cardiac problems and diabetes.
The findings also suggest that older Filipino Americans lead healthy lifestyles that significantly lower their disease risks. A strong 48% of the total sample said they exercised daily, while only 7.4% smoked and 4.3% drank alcohol daily. Most participants reported visiting their physicians and dentists regularly. However, younger Filipino Americans were more likely to smoke, suggesting a need for culturally competent smoking cessation programs targeted specifically to this group.
"These [overall] results are consistent with individuals who value health and engage in health-promoting behaviors," the study concludes, "and with a population that has better health than native-born Americans, despite living in the U.S. for more than 10 years." -

http://www.minoritynurse.com/vitalsigns/may02-6.html