2022

New report on the health, mental health and social service needs of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in California


Data from the California Health Interview Survey, led by Dr. Ninez Ponce, highlight needs of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.

Elderly Asian-American women with hand to head, in distress

Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) are among the fastest growing racial groups in California and nationwide. In response to a wave of attacks on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs), California passed the API Equity Budget in 2021 that included a three-year investment of more than $166 million to better serve communities experiencing hate and barriers to various government services. Part of that historic investment was a $10 million award to AAPI Data, to conduct demographic and policy research to better serve AANHPI communities.

“High-quality data is the first step and the foundation to achieving health equity. We are proud to partner with AAPI Data on this report that highlights the unique health challenges and needs of Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities, who for so long have been grouped together,” said Dr. Ninez Ponce, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health professor of health policy and management, director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and senior researcher at AAPI Data. “As you can see in this comprehensive report, the more we break down the data by subgroups, the more apparent the differences and vulnerabilities become. We hope this report can help inform better decision-making and policies.”

AAPI Data, in partnership with the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, released a groundbreaking study that highlights disparities in the access and utilization of health, mental health and social services by Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities. The report also benefited from the input of the California Commission on Asian & Pacific Islander American Affairs, various other state agencies, and several nonprofit organizations serving AANHPI communities including AAPI Equity Alliance, CAA, Center for Empowered Politics, Empowering Pacific Islander Communities, Khmer Girls in Action, SEARAC, and the Stop AAPI Hate Coalition. 

This health, mental health, and social service needs report uses currently available data to benchmark the current health, mental health and social service needs for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in California. The report uses pooled data from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research’s 2019 and 2020 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) and the Census Bureau’s 2016–2020 American Community Survey (ACS).

Key findings of the report include:

●     Asians, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders were slightly less likely to be enrolled in public programs such as CalFresh, Medicare and Medi-Cal compared to other racial and ethnic groups. Enrollment among detailed Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander groups showed wider variation, including much larger gaps among groups such as Indians, Japanese and Taiwanese.

●     Asians, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders were less likely than whites to have a usual source of care, have visited a doctor in the last 12 months, and be able to schedule a doctor’s appointment in a timely manner.

●     While Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities reported the lowest rates of suicide ideation overall, disaggregated data reveal Japanese, Korean and U.S.-born Asians are more likely to have said they had ever thought of committing suicide.

●     Among those who reported needing help for emotional, mental or addiction problems in the past year, Asians, along with Blacks and Hispanics, were significantly less likely to receive needed mental, emotional or addiction treatment than whites. Disaggregated data for Asians show similar challenges in accessing mental health services, especially for Vietnamese.

●     Asian, Black and Hispanic women were less likely than white women to use birth control. Asian teens were significantly less likely to have received counseling about birth control in the past year.

●     While Asians, in general, were less likely to report non-consensual sex or sexual assault in the survey, Japanese and Koreans were more likely to report it than Asians in general, with Japanese reporting at the highest rate among the groups surveyed.

●     With Universal Pre-K set as a goal for the 2025–2026 school year in California, a snapshot of ACS data shows which communities have existing gaps in preschool enrollment. Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander children were among the least likely of all Californian children to be enrolled in Pre-K. Disaggregated Asian data also show that less than half of Laotian, Filipino, Pakistani, Cambodian and Hmong preschool-aged children were enrolled in a pre-K program.

●     While Asians in general were less likely to provide care to family or friends with a disability or serious illness than members of other major racial and ethnic groups, Japanese, Filipinos and Vietnamese were much more likely to be caregivers.

●     Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander caregivers were more likely to cite financial stress from caregiving.

●     While Asians in general reported relatively low levels of physical and mental health problems due to caregiving, Koreans and South Asians were significantly more likely to report those problems compared to all Asians.

by Tiffany Lopes

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The UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, founded in 1961, is dedicated to enhancing the public's health by conducting innovative research, training future leaders and health professionals from diverse backgrounds, translating research into policy and practice, and serving our local communities and the communities of the nation and the world. The school has 761 students from 26 nations engaged in carrying out the vision of building healthy futures in greater Los Angeles, California, the nation and the world.

Faculty Referenced by this Article

Dr. Ninez Ponce
Ninez Ponce
Health Policy and Management
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Susan Ettner
Health Policy and Management
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Warren Scott Comulada
Warren Scott Comulada
Health Policy and Management
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Michael Ong
Michael Ong
Health Policy and Management
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Kadiyala, Srikanth
Srikanth Kadiyala
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Alice Kuo
Alice Kuo
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Risha Gidwani
Risha Gidwani
Health Policy and Management
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Vilsa Eliana Curto
Vilsa Eliana Curto
Health Policy and Management
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Rosenstock
Linda Rosenstock
Environmental Health Sciences Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Stephanie Taylor
Stephanie L. Taylor

Nationally recognized health services researcher and sociomedical scientist with 25+ years' experience in effectiveness and implementation research.

Health Policy and Management
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Jack Needleman
Jack Needleman
Health Policy and Management
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David Hayes-Bautista
Health Policy and Management
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Olivia Jung
Olivia Jung
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Dylan Roby
Dylan Roby
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Kenneth Wells
Kenneth Wells
Health Policy and Management
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Sangeeta Ahluwalia
Sangeeta Ahluwalia
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Jonathan Fielding
Jonathan Fielding
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Elizabeth (Becky) Yano
Elizabeth (Becky) Yano
Health Policy and Management
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Pamela Davidson
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Jennifer Wortham
Jennifer Wortham
Health Policy and Management
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Isomi Miake-Lye
Isomi Miake-Lye
Health Policy and Management
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Jean Balgrosky
Health Policy and Management
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Aronberg, Sandra
Sandra Aronberg
Health Policy and Management
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Barbara Berman
Health Policy and Management
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Leah Vriesman
Leah Vriesman
Health Policy and Management
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Patricia Ganz
Patricia Ganz
Health Policy and Management
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Avram Kaplan
Avram Kaplan
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Naomi Zewde
Naomi Zewde
Health Policy and Management
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Jody Heymann
Jody Heymann
Epidemiology Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Paul Fu, Jr.
Paul Fu, Jr.
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Kristen Choi
Kristen Choi
Health Policy and Management
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Alan Tomines
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Anthony Schiff
Anthony Hunter Schiff
Health Policy and Management
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Julie A. Elginer

EMPH Academic Program Director with expertise in healthcare marketing, finance, and reproductive health policy, teaching in the EMPH, MPH, MHA program

Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Samuel Sessions
Samuel Sessions
Health Policy and Management
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Vickie Mays
Vickie Mays
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Arturo Vargas Bustamante
Arturo Vargas Bustamante
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Yvonne Flores
Yvonne Flores
Health Policy and Management
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Mark Litwin
Health Policy and Management
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Thomas Priselac
Health Policy and Management
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Ron D. Hays
Ron D. Hays
Health Policy and Management
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Laura Erskine
Laura Erskine
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. William McCarthy
William J. McCarthy
Health Policy and Management
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Lori Pelliccioni
Health Policy and Management
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Ty Robbins
Health Policy and Management
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Neal Halfon
Health Policy and Management
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Freund, Deborah
Deborah Anne Freund
Health Policy and Management
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James Macinko
James Macinko

Professor of Community Health Sciences & Health Policy and Management, and Associate Dean for Research

Community Health Sciences Health Policy and Management
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Emmeline Chuang
Health Policy and Management
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Clifford Ko
Clifford Ko
Health Policy and Management
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Annette Maxwell
Health Policy and Management
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Ron Andersen

Dr. Ron Andersen is the Wasserman Professor Emeritus in the UCLA Departments of Health Policy and Management.

Health Policy and Management
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Jose J. Escarce
Health Policy and Management
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Diana Hilberman
Diana Hilberman
Health Policy and Management
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Arlene Fink
Health Policy and Management
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Nadereh Pourat
Nadereh Pourat
Health Policy and Management
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Mangione, C
Carol Mangione
Health Policy and Management
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Corrina Moucheraud
Corrina Moucheraud
Health Policy and Management
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Galper, Michael
Michael Galper
Health Policy and Management
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Steven Teutsch
Health Policy and Management
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Robert Brook
Health Policy and Management
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Burt Cowgill
Burt Cowgill
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. John Lu
Z. John Lu
Health Policy and Management
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Robert Kaplan
Robert Kaplan
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Felicia Hodge
Felicia Hodge
Health Policy and Management
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Thomas D. Gordon
Health Policy and Management
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Yusuke Tsugawa
Yusuke Tsugawa
Health Policy and Management
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Moira Inkelas
Moira Inkelas
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Thomas Rice
Thomas Rice
Health Policy and Management
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Jeanne Miranda
Jeanne Miranda
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Joann Elmore
Joann G. Elmore
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Aria Fallah
Aria Fallah
Health Policy and Management
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Michelle Keller
Michelle S. Keller

Dr. Michelle S. Keller is a health services researcher whose research focuses on the use and prescribing of high-risk medications.

Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Beth Glenn
Beth Glenn
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Daniel Eisenberg
Daniel Eisenberg
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Xi Zhu
Xi Zhu
Health Policy and Management
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Comanor, Bill
William Comanor
Health Policy and Management
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Gerald Kominski
Gerald Kominski
Health Policy and Management
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Emily Abel
Emily Abel
Health Policy and Management
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Roshan Bastani
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Frederick Zimmerman
Frederick Zimmerman
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Lillian Gelberg
Lillian Gelberg
Health Policy and Management
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Paul Chung
Paul Chung
Health Policy and Management
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Brennan Spiegel
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