Springer Handbook of Asian American Health

America’s diverse Asian community defies the homogeneity usually ascribed to it, with hugely varying health concerns. This handbook consolidates a range of knowledge on the multitude of health issues confronted by Asian Americans, including cultural factors. From the Back Cover As a rapidly growing population, America’s Asian community is gaining increased attention from the research and policy sectors. This large, diverse group tends to be viewed as a single entity, yet its subgroups reveal great variety in terms of health, from disease rates and mortality rates to attitudes toward illness and access to care.   The Handbook of Asian American Health makes significant inroads toward rectifying this situation by exploring the unique needs and health concerns of particular subgroups within the Asian American community. It consolidates a wide range of knowledge on various health issues impacting Asian Americans while also providing cogent discussion on cultural, social, and structural forces impacting morbidity, mortality and quality of life. Contributors identify key challenges and emerging trends faced by specific ethnic groups regarding diseases and illnesses, describe innovative community-based interventions, and spotlight research areas that need additional study to further advance the understanding of this dynamic population’s complex health concerns.   Included in the Handbook:   Ethnicity and health: perspectives from nine different Asian-American groups. Social determinants of health: culture, acculturation, socioeconomic status, racism, and more. Critical health/mental health concerns facing Asian Americans, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s. Issues in health care delivery: access, quality, and end-of-life care. Social advocacy, health, and the Asian-American community. Complementary and alternative medicine use.   The Handbook of Asian American Health breaks new ground for policymakers, social workers, researchers, and academics specializing in Asian-American issues, as well as immigration specialists and health care workers.  About the Author Grace J. Yoo MPH, Ph.D is a sociologist and professor of Asian American Studies in the College of Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State University. Her research interests are understanding social support needs on a wide range of health care issues impacting Asian Americans including cancer control and cancer survivorship, management of chronic illnesses, aging and caregiving and health care access. She has published in a wide range of peer-reviewed journals including AAPI Nexus, Supportive Cancer Care, Cross-Cultural Gerontology and Ethnicity and Health. Mai-Nhung Le, Dr.P.H., M.P.H. is an associate professor in the Asian American Studies Department at San Francisco State University. She has interests in understanding social, cultural, and health issues impacting Asian Americans and Asians abroad. She has conducted a significant amount of research on the spread of STDs in both Vietnam and the United States. Her work has appeared in peer reviewed journals such as AIDS and Behavior, Journal of Sex Research and Journal of Cancer Education. She is currently editing a Vietnamese American Anthology titled Vietnamese Americans: Experiences and Perspectives. In recent years, she has shifted her area of research to Asian Americans and cancer, particularly on cancer survivorship. Alan Y. Oda, Ph.D. is a professor of undergraduate psychology at Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, California. His research includes parenting and family relations, adolescence, Asian American and other minority American populations, and faith development. Currently, he is investigating the future role of the Asian American church in providing care for the elderly, and is also studying interventions aimed at Latino adolescent females at risk for suicide. He served as the executive director of the Asian American Christian Counselin