In fact, the collection of ethnic data is vital to our understanding and is needed to consider the effect of the long and complex history of Asian immigration in explicating variations in health outcomes today. 2015 Elo and Preston 1997 Singh and Hiatt 2006 Singh and Miller 2004), the documented heterogeneity in their health suggests that significant differences in life expectancy exist between ethnic groups.Ĭonsidering their rapid growth and variegated experiences, Asians warrant closerattention from researchers. Thus, although Asians as an aggregate enjoy the longest life expectancy of any racial group in the United States ( Acciai et al. Additionally, Staimez and colleagues (2013) revealed heterogeneity in cardiometabolic risk factors among different Asian groups. (2012) found that Chinese and Vietnamese are more likely to report fair/poor physical and mental health than Filipinos. Nevertheless, prior work underscores the substantial heterogeneity in their general health and their risks for various chronic conditions ( Hastings et al. Office of Management and Budget's definition of Asian, including American citizens and noncitizen residents.Īlthough the health experiences of Asian communities vary by socioeconomic status (SES), ethnicity, and geographic location in the United States, most empirical work has presented them as a homogenous group with a singular story. Hereafter, we use the terms “Asian” or “Asian groups” to refer to all people who fall within the U.S. The millions of people who make up this racial category can trace their histories to a diverse group of nations. Further, the aggregation of Asians and the persistence of the model minority myth limit our understanding of the varying experiences of Asian ethnic groups. Research on Asians in the United States has primarily focused on traditional and gateway immigrant destinations in the American West ( Holland and Palaniappan 2012 Islam et al. Yet investigations of their health remain scarce.

Our results underline the necessity of studying the experiences of the different Asian ethnic groups in the United States, permitting a better assessment of the varying health needs within this diverse racial group.Īsian Americans, Life expectancy, Asian ethnic groups, Health disparities, Immigrants IntroductionĪsians are the fastest growing racial group in the United States, with a population increase of 43% between 20 ( Hoeffel et al. These findings suggest the presence of underlying selection effects associated with settlement patterns among new and traditional destinations. We also found regional differences in life expectancy, where life expectancy for Asians in the West was significantly lower than all other regions. Nationally, Chinese had the highest life expectancy (males e 0 = 86.8 females e 0 = 91.3), followed by Asian Indians, Koreans, Japanese, Filipinos, and Vietnamese, generally reflecting the pattern expected given their educational attainment, our primary indicator of socioeconomic status.

We estimate the life expectancy of the six largest Asian ethnic groups-Chinese, Asian Indians, Filipinos, Vietnamese, Koreans, and Japanese-analyzing data from the Multiple Cause of Death File (2012–2016) and the American Community Survey (2012–2016) in the United States at the national and regional levels. However, we should expect differences between the ethnic groups given the differences in their timing and place of migration, socioeconomic status, and racialized experiences in the United States. Most studies have not considered the unique experiences of the ethnic groups contained in the Asian racial group, implying that Asians have a shared story. As the fastest growing racial group in the United States, understanding the health patterns of Asians is important to addressing health gaps in American society.

Life expectancy in us for males