Regular Physician Access and Obesity Status Among Underserved Asian and Pacific Islander American Immigrants in Los Angeles-Reference-Cited by-同舟云学术

Regular Physician Access and Obesity Status Among Underserved Asian and Pacific Islander American Immigrants in Los Angeles

Published:2024-06-16 Issue: Volume: Page:
ISSN:1010-5395
Container-title:Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health
language:en
Short-container-title:Asia Pac J Public Health

Author:

Yang Hong-Ho¹^ORCID,Dhanjani Suraj A.²,Chwa Won Jong³,Wells Christine R.⁴,Huynh Jeffrey Do⁵,Vo Linh N.⁵^ORCID,Chou Heather N.⁶,Cowgill Burton⁷

Affiliation:

1. Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

2. Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

3. Department of Medicine, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA

4. Office of Academic Research and Computing, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

5. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

6. Department of Geography, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

7. Department of Health Policy and Management, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Abstract

According to prior research, Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) immigrants often refrain from seeking health care unless necessitated by medical conditions. Utilizing data from health screenings conducted in APIA immigrant enclaves in Los Angeles, we hypothesize that poorer obesity status would predict higher rates of regular physician access. Analyses involved objectively measured percent body fat (%BF) and survey responses collected between 2011 and 2019. We assessed the association between obesity status and regular physician access, adjusting for insurance status, demographic, and socioeconomic factors. The study population (n = 4102) primarily consisted low-income, low English proficiency APIAs. Participants with a regular physician were significantly more likely to be obese compared to participants without (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.28, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.03, 1.58], P = .02). This association may suggest that care was sought reactively rather than proactively within this community. Interventions with emphasis on cultural competency and language services may encourage preventative care utilization among this understudied community.

Publisher

SAGE Publications

Link

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/10105395241260970

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