APA Health CARE: A Student-Led Initiative Addressing Health Care Barriers Faced by the Asian and Pacific Islander Americ
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ORIGINAL PAPER
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 Yang1 · Won Jong Chwa2 · Sharon B. Yuen3 · Jeffrey D. Huynh4 · Janine S. Chan5 · Amit Kumar6 · Suraj A. Dhanjani7 · Gilbert C. Gee8 · Burton O. Cowgill9,10
© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
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 healthrelated 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 · Immigrants · Health fairs · Health education · Language barriers
* Burton O. Cowgill [email protected]
6
Department of Physiological Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Hong‑Ho Yang [email protected]
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The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Department of Community Health Sciences, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Department of Health Policy and Management, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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UCLA Department of Health Policy and Management, 650 Charles Young Drive South, A2‑125 CHS, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
1
Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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