Health Care Practices of the Foreign Born Asian Indians in the United States. A Community Based Survey

Although successful utilization of medical and preventive care by members of the non-US born communities is an important public
health concern, our knowledge regarding health practices of different ethnic subgroups is limited. In the present study, participants
of the health fairs organized during South Asian cultural and religions events were asked anonymously to complete the South
Asian Total Health Initiative (SATHI) health survey questionnaire to evaluate their health-related practices, self-health
perception, and satisfaction with medical care. Among 1,250 surveyed, 1,016 foreign born Asian Indians adults that represented
the fastest growing subgroups of the South Asian born nationals in the US were included in the analysis. We found that the
majority reported healthy behavior (exercise activities and abstinence from alcohol or tobacco), high self-health perception,
satisfaction with medical care, and compliance with annual routine medical examinations that was directly associated with
the annual house income. Approximately 40% of women complied with breast and cervical cancer screenings and less than 20%
of men complied with prostate cancer screening guidelines. Presence of chronic conditions (mostly cardiovascular pathology
and/or diabetes) that were reported by approximately half of the participants negatively impacted their self-health perception.
In conclusion, positive self-reported health perception and compliance with routine health examinations of the surveyed foreign
born Asian Indians was reported along with an increased rate of chronic morbidity and underutilization of specific preventive
services. Observed discrepancy between self-health perception and health status highlights the need to enhance utilization
of preventive services among the non-US born Asian Indian community.