Search

Chinese students studying abroad have been increasing rapidly in the past decades and become a significant financial contribution to receiving countries. Accordingly, understanding their enrollment choice is essential to facilitate college marketing and admission strategies. Though the decision process is believed to be different from domestic students, empirical analysis of Chinese students' enrollment choices is still lacking. This paper fills the void by examining the influential factors of Chinese students' enrollment choice with novel student-level data. We find that in addition to factors domestic students typically consider, such as financial aid and academic quality, Chinese students particularly emphasize college ranking, reputation, and location in their decision process. Furthermore, unlike domestic students who usually prefer colleges with proximity to home, Chinese students' location preference is linked to job prosperity. We also find that the impact of the factors varies for students from different regions of China, which can be attributable to uneven economic development within the country.

The main goals of this paper are to identify race in Korean language classrooms; articulate the connection between Korean language learners' racial identities and Korean language learning; and discuss implications for Korean language educators. In order to do this, I first examine literature on English language education to glean themes related to race, language, and power. Next, I illustrate how race and Koreanness play a role in Korean education. Then, utilizing themes from the first two sections, I investigate the field of Korean language education in Korea and in the US. The final section presents implications for Korean language education.

In this study, we explored the notions of cultural learning from non-western perspectives by focusing on the experiences of Chinese undergraduate students from the field of Public Health in the United States of America. We used Weick's (1995) Sensemaking theory to understand how Chinese undergraduate students made sense of their experiences of learning about other cultures in both personal and professional spaces. We applied a qualitative research design and used interviews, a focus group, and reflection papers for data collection. We found that Chinese undergraduate students focused on social behaviors and attitudes. They used comparison as a tool to make sense of new experiences. Their sensemaking process shifted from simple to complex concepts, and guided learning helped them understand complex social issues related to public health in the U.S. They did not consider learning related to public health knowledge, English language, or life skills as cultural learning.

This paper provides a review of current trends in international student recruitment. Focusing specifically on recruitment of Chinese students, important aspects of China's educational system relevant to recruitment are presented. Barriers to Chinese student recruitment are then discussed. Successful, employed, international graduates validate domestic institutional value to prospective foreign students and their parents. In that regard, guidance is then offered for domestic universities to use to assist international students to achieve their desired outcomes as an integral part of the institution's international student recruitment strategy.

This paper describes the ways in which Writing Centers (WC) currently serve English Language Learners (ELL) at American universities. The authors argue that the pedagogy offered at these centers does not always meet the needs of the Chinese ELLs who make up the largest population of ELLs at American universities. The proposed supplemental model they recommend, which is grounded in Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP), has the potential to better meet the needs of Chinese ELLs. The authors identify obstacles to successful implementation of the proposed model and ways in which these, and gaps in research, can be addressed by directors of Writing Centers.

Given the receptivity of American colleges to international students, administrators and professors must recognize the diversity such registrants bring to campus in the form of achievement, age, gender, language, and national differences. The purpose of this study was to compare learning style preferences of international first year college students and to analyze the effects of accommodating learning-style preferences of first year international college students on achievement and anxiety levels over one semester. This paper focused on the identification of learning style profiles of first time visiting Japanese, Korean, and Chinese college student populations. It also assessed the anxiety and acculturation levels of these international students when they were first introduced to the American educational system which incorporated teacher facilitation and promoted student directed studies. Finally, student learning styles were assessed after a six-week summer session to see if learning styles remained the same after students were introduced to the American educational system. After the six-week summer session and two semesters, a focus group meeting with a sample population of students and a separate focus group meeting with instructors were held to confirm quantitative findings.

Today's global community encompasses interconnectivity between societies, where a development in one country affects and informs something similar in other countries. Multicultural education is not exempt from this pattern. Multicultural education was first started by concerned activists and educators in the United States as a way to secure social justice for African Americans. Today, educators in different parts of the world use multicultural education to better serve their own marginalized students, including immigrants. This article looks at multicultural education as conceptualized and practiced by Korean educators for cultural others who face both academic and social marginalization in that country's schools. The authors' goal is to suggest implications for American multicultural educators. First, they describe how Korean multicultural education aims to foster the integration of children from immigrant, biracial, and multicultural families into mainstream Korea. This is followed by the argument that this approach overlooks a fundamental problem facing the immigrants in Korean schools where the narrow construction of real Koreans excludes nonethnic South Koreans. Lastly, they argue that a similar process takes place in American schools where the idea of a "real" American is constructed to mean English-fluent Whites. They call for multicultural educators to problematize this to better serve their American cultural others.

Cultural characteristics impact on parents' attitudes and perceptions toward children with disabilities. Therefore the unique family background could create a challenge for service providers. Professional who works with children with disabilities need information from families in order to provide effective intervention (Parette, Summer 2004). The purpose of this paper is to review the perception and challenges Chinese-American families of children with disabilities encounter. Specific emphasis was placed on the influence of acculturation of Chinese-American and the intervention of professionals in educational decision making process.

This paper examines whether school COVID-19 policies influenced enrollment differently by student age and race/ethnicity. Unlike much prior research, we i) analyze enrollments for virtually the entire U.S. public school population for both the 2020- 2021 and 2021-2022 school years, ii) compare enrollment trends within districts in order to isolate subgroup heterogeneity from district characteristics, and iii) account for district selection into preferred learning modes. Analyzing data on over 9,000 districts that serve more than 90% of public school students in the United States, we find enrollment responses to COVID policies differed notably. We find that White enrollments declined more than Black, Hispanic, and Asian enrollments in districts that started the 2020-2021 school year virtually, but in districts that started in-person the reverse was true: Non-White enrollments declined more than White enrollments. Moreover, Black, Hispanic, and Asian families responded more than White families to higher COVID-19 death rates in the months preceding the start of the 2021 school year. In 2021-2022, enrollment differences by the previous year's learning mode persisted. Racial/ethnic differences did not vary by whether the district required masking in classrooms. These findings are consistent with the greater risk faced by communities of color during the pandemic and demonstrate an additional source of disparate impact from COVID policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a method for summarizing the pace of advancement of the foreign-born population in a given period. The method standardizes for variations in the duration of residence or age composition of immigrant groups, attainments possessed by different groups when first observed after entry, and other temporal effects on measured advances, forming an index of Expected Lifetime Advance based on the pace of change in a period. The measure is applied to Mexican and Asian immigrants. Between the 1980s and the 1990s, the rates of advancement for Mexicans accelerated in six out of seven social, economic, and civic outcomes. Rates of advancement for Asians were similar in both decades. A worked example of the calculation of the index can be found in an Excel workbook published with the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies in the United States and other Pacific Rim countries have identified a new form of ethnic minority group clustering within the residential mosaic-ethnoburbs. These are suburban in location, occupied by relatively high-income, predominantly Asian, immigrants, and low density in their nature: many migrants move directly to those suburbs rather than the inter-generational outward migration from central city clusters typical of other migrant streams. Although ethnoburb residents tend to cluster in particular segments of the built-up area they do not to form large percentages of the population there. As yet, no methodology has been developed to identify these clusters, as a prelude to identifying their characteristics. This paper offers such a procedure, based on local statistical analysis. It is applied to six Asian groups in Auckland, New Zealand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Starting in 2018, national death certificates included a new racial classification system that accounts for multiple-race decedents and separates Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) individuals from Asian individuals. We estimated cancer death rates across updated racial and ethnic categories, sex, and age. Methods Age-standardized US cancer mortality rates and rate ratios from 2018 to 2020 among individuals aged 20 years and older were estimated with national death certificate data by race and ethnicity, sex, age, and cancer site. Results In 2018, there were approximately 597 000 cancer deaths, 598 000 in 2019, and 601 000 in 2020. Among men, cancer death rates were highest in Black men (298.2 per 100 000; n = 105 632), followed by White (250.8; n = 736 319), American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN; 249.2; n = 3376), NHPI (205.6; n = 1080), Latino (177.2; n = 66 167), and Asian (147.9; n = 26 591) men. Among women, Black women had the highest cancer death rates (206.5 per 100 000; n = 104 437), followed by NHPI (192.1; n = 1141), AI/AN (189.9; n = 3239), White (183.0; n = 646 865), Latina (128.4; n = 61 579), and Asian (111.4; n = 26 396) women. The highest death rates by age group occurred among NHPI individuals aged 20-49 years and Black individuals aged 50-69 and 70 years and older. Asian individuals had the lowest cancer death rates across age groups. Compared with Asian individuals, total cancer death rates were 39% higher in NHPI men and 73% higher in NHPI women. Conclusions There were striking racial and ethnic disparities in cancer death rates during 2018-2020. Separating NHPI and Asian individuals revealed large differences in cancer mortality between 2 groups that were previously combined in vital statistics data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the relative importance of remarriage as a correlate of ethnic and racial exogamy among Asians in the U.S. This research provides needed cross-cultural testing to existing empirical generalizations regarding remarriage and intermarriage. This paper examines in a multivariate context the relative importance of remarriage as a correlate of ethnic and racial exogamy among Asians in the U.S. It is known that remarriage is the most important predictor of exogamy in the general population. In this paper we ascertain whether remarriage is associated with the racial and ethnic intermarriage of Asians. The research tests the hypothesis that the remarriages of Asians are associated with relatively greater ethnic and racial exogamy. The study presents a corrective to the lack of attention to Asian remarriage. The literature on remarriage has not considered its impact on the racial and ethnic intermarriage patterns of Asian minorities in the U.S. Yet, ethnic and racial endogamy may occur most often when members of Asian nationalities in the U.S. are in their first marriages and foreign-born. Asians should be more willing to break endogamous norms when the ethnic cultural influence on their behavior is relatively weaker.

This paper examines trends in residential segregation for blacks, Hispanics, and Asians in 60 SMSAs between 1970 and 1980 using data taken from the 1970 Fourth Count Summary tapes and the 1980 Summary Tape File 4. Segregation was measured using dissimilarity and exposure indices. Black segregation from Angles declined in some smaller SMSAs in the south and west, but in large urban areas in the northeastern and north central states there was little change; in these areas blacks remained spatially isolated and highly segregated. The level of black-Anglo segregation was not strongly related to socioeconomic status or level of suburbanization. Hispanic segregation was markedly below that of blacks, but increased substantially in some urban areas that experienced Hispanic immigration and population growth over the decade. The level of Hispanic segregation was highly related to indicators of socioeconomic status, acculturation, and suburbanization. Asian segregation was everywhere quite low. During the 1970s the spatial isolation of Asians increased slightly, while dissimilarity from Anglos decreased. Results were interpreted to suggest that Asian enclaves were beginning to form in many U.S. metropolitan areas around 1980. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study investigates how working-age Asian immigrants' educational attainment and professional abilities when arriving in the United States have evolved over the past 4 decades and draws inferences on the impact of the US employment based visa policies. Design/methodology/approach: Using data from the 1980, 1990 and 2000 census and American Community Survey for 2001 to 2019, the study adopts multivariate regression and regression discontinuity design to investigate the trends in educational and occupation selection among Asian immigrants and the association with policy changes in the H1B visa program. Findings: The findings suggest that new Asian immigrants were more positively selected for education than non-Asian immigrants and US natives and this pattern of positive selection increased over time. Newly arrived South Asian and East Asian immigrants had the highest share of highly educated professionals than Southeast Asians and US-born persons. I infer that the enactment and changes in the H1-B program might have contributed to the changing patterns of the educational and occupational selection among East and South Asian Immigrants. The results also shed light on how Asian immigrants' skill selection might be related to the size of Asian diasporas in the US and sending countries' income, inequality and education level. Originality/value: The story of changing the skill profile (educational and occupational profile) of newly arrived Asian immigrants during 1980–2019 can provide valuable policy implications. US immigration policies are routinely criticized for being inefficient and outdated. The economic prosperity of Asian countries over time also provides an excellent opportunity to test the theories pertaining to how sending countries' income, inequality and education level of the population are associated with Asian migrants' education and occupation when arriving in the US. This study can provide insightful perspectives for policymakers and business decision-makers to adapt to the changing demographics of Asian migrant workers. The most recent reports on Asian immigrants in the US highlighted the aggregated trends of migration flow and education. Still, none have provided a longitudinal and nuanced review of Asian immigrants' educational and occupational selection into the US. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese medicine is growing rapidly in the United States both as a field of research and in the daily treatment of illnesses. The popularity of Chinese medicine, particularly acupuncture, as a healing mechanism demonstrates American people's positive experience with Chinese medicine and their embracing it as an alternative to the mainstream Western biomedicine. Chinese medicine is an important part of the Alternative and Complementary Medicine or Integrated Medicine in the United States health system. It is increasingly used and covered by health insurance. Although Chinese medicine has been in the United States since colonial times, it was discriminated against by local authorities. However, things began to change in the 1970s when individual states gradually passed laws to legalize the practice of acupuncture as a healing mechanism. American public interest in Chinese medicine, particularly acupuncture, was aroused by the media's report of the "magic" power of acupuncture during President Nixon's visit to China. Non-Asians studied acupuncture in the following decades, which contributed to the establishment of acupuncture as a profession in the American health system. The history of Chinese medicine in the United States illustrates that Chinese and Asian immigrants promoted Chinese medicine in the communities, while Chinese American medical scientists who were trained in biomedicine played an important role in shaping the biomedical method of acupuncture research. This article investigates the changes of Chinese medicine in the United States, with a focus on acupuncture. Situating the discussion in a larger context of social and cultural changes, this study examines the contributions of Chinese immigrants and the popularity of acupuncture in the United States. It analyzes the development of acupuncture practice and research, the professional training in Chinese medicine, and American people's interest in using Chinese medicine as a reliable healing mechanism to many health problems, including chronic pain, cancer, and drug addictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gendered violence exacerbated by the racist rhetoric of the Covid pandemic left many in the Asian American community scarred, angry, and frightened. Our panel's speakers trace the histories of gendered violence that women of Asian descent have faced in the United States, covering the intersecting topics of race, gender, sexuality, cultural heteropatriarchy, and the ongoing legacies of Orientalism and neo-imperialism. We then link these histories to the Asian American youth culture known as the Asian Baby Girl or Asian Baby Gangster (ABG), an intergenerational form of resistance that has strongly challenged, or in some cases capriciously and enigmatically adhered to, gendered expectations of the ideal Asian woman in America.* We assess the ABG as a complicated and gendered aesthetic in Asian youth culture that, despite receiving criticisms from both within and outside communities of Asian descent, continues to provide a constructive platform for discussions on Asian women's agency and socio-political and cultural visibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The clustering of Big Four contributors to morbidity and mortality-alcohol misuse, smoking, poor diet, and physical inactivity-may further elevate chronic health risk, but there is limited information about their specific combinations and associated health risks for racial/ethnic minority groups. We aimed to examine patterns of clustering in risk behaviors for White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian American adults and their associations with diabetes and hypertension. As these behaviors may be socioeconomically-patterned, we also examined associations between clustering and socioeconomic status (SES).Methods: Latent class analyses and multinomial and logistic regressions were conducted using a nationally-representative sample of United States (US) adults ages 40-70 (N = 35,322) from Waves 2 (2004-2005) and 3 (2012-2013) of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Obesity was used as a proxy for unhealthy diet. The outcomes were diabetes and hypertension.Results: A relatively-healthy-lifestyle class was found only among White adults. Common patterns of unhealthy clustering were found across groups with some variations: the obese-inactive class among White, Black, and Hispanic adults (and the inactive class among Asian adults); the obese-inactive-smoking class among White, Black, and Hispanic adults; the smoking-risky-drinking class among White and Hispanic adults; and the smoking-risky-drinking-inactive class among Black and Asian adults. Positive associations of unhealthier clustering (having a greater number of risk behaviors) with lower SES (i.e., family income and education) and with health conditions were more consistent for Whites than for other groups. For racial minority groups, lower education than income was more consistently associated with unhealthy clusters. The associations between unhealthier clustering and diabetes and hypertension were less clear for Blacks and Asians than for Whites, with no significant association observed for Hispanics.Conclusion: Concerted efforts to address clustered risk behaviors in most US adults, particularly in racial/ethnic minority groups given the high prevalence of unhealthy clustering, are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Generation 1.5, immigrants who moved to a different country before adulthood, are hypothesized to have unique cognitive and behavioral patterns. We examined the possible differences in cigarette smoking between Asian subpopulations who arrived in the United States at different life stages.Methods: Using the Asian subsample of the 2015 Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey, we tested this Generation 1.5 hypothesis with their smoking behavior. This dataset was chosen because its large sample size allowed for a national-level analysis of the Asian subsamples by sex, while other national datasets might not have adequate sample sizes for analysis of these subpopulations. The outcome variable was defined as whether the survey respondent had ever smoked 100 cigarettes or more, with the key independent variable operationalized as whether the respondent was: 1) born in the United States; 2) entered the United States before 12; 3) entered between 12 and 19; and 4) entered after 19. Logistic regressions were run to examine the associations with covariates including the respondent's age, educational attainment, and household income.Results: Asian men who entered before 12 were less likely to have ever smoked 100 cigarettes than those who immigrated after 19; for Asian women, three groups (born in the United States, entered before 12, entered between 12 and 19) were more likely to have smoked 100 cigarettes than those who immigrated after 19.Conclusions: While Asian men who came to the United States before 12 were less at risk for cigarette smoking than those who immigrated in adulthood, the pattern was the opposite among Asian women. Those who spent their childhood in the United States were more likely to smoke than those who came to the United States in adulthood. These patterns might result from the cultural differences between US and Asian countries, and bear policy relevance for the tobacco control efforts among Asian Americans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Understanding the social lives of South Asian immigrants in the United States (U.S) and their influence on health can inform interpersonal and community-level health interventions for this growing community. This paper describe the rationale, survey design, measurement, and network properties of 700 South Asian individuals in the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) social networks ancillary study.Methods: MASALA is a community-based cohort, established in 2010, to understand risk factors for cardiovascular disease among South Asians living in the U.S. Survey data collection on personal social networks occurred between 2014 and 2017. Network measurements included size, composition, density, and organizational affiliations. Data on participants' self-rated health and social support functions and health-related discussions among network members were also collected.Results: Participants' age ranged from 44 to 84 (average 59 years), and 57% were men. South Asians had large (size=5.6, SD=2.6), kin-centered (proportion kin=0.71, SD=0.28), and dense networks. Affiliation with religious and spiritual organizations was perceived as beneficial to health. Emotional closeness with network members was positively associated with participants' self-rated health (p-value <0.001), and networks with higher density and more kin were significantly associated with health-related discussions.Discussion: The MASALA networks study advances research on the cultural patterning of social relationships and sources of social support in South Asians living in the U.S. Future analyses will examine how personal social networks and organizational affiliations influence South Asians' health behaviors and outcomes.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02268513. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of multiracial people in the United States has typically focused on the experiences of Black–White racially-mixed individuals. In this article, we review and analyze the theoretical and evidence base for the White-leaning characterization of Asian–White multiracials. Historically, Asian Americans have been positioned as a "racial middle" group in relation to White and Black Americans. In line with this perceived racial position, Asian–White multiracials have been generally characterized as being more White than Black–White multiracials, as well as "leaning White" in terms of self-identification. While there is growing recognition of the variability of experiences among Black–White multiracials, the depiction of Asian multiracials as White-leaning—though based on limited empirical evidence—continues to be prominent, revealing the tendency to view Asian–White individuals through a "White racial frame." The racial identifications and experiences of Asian–White multiracials are far more complex than such a view suggests. We argue for the need to advance studies on Asian mixed-race people to accurately capture their racial positioning within a system of White supremacy, including the diversity of their identifications, political views, and racialized experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this piece, I examine the political branding of Asian immigrants by comparing the rhetoric used in the political platforms of the Democratic and Republican parties from 1876 to 1924 to the language deployed in U.S. Supreme Court opinions during the same time period. The negative verbiage repeated at national political conventions branded the Chinese as a threat to labor, immoral, unassimilable, diseased, and invaders. Interestingly, the Republican authors of their political platforms were multiracial, and yet they produced rhetoric as harshly anti-Asian as their Democratic counterparts, who included ex-Confederate soldiers and even KKK members. And disappointingly, the Supreme Court picked up this derogatory language found in both parties' political platforms and continued to echo it in cases that diminished the rights of Chinese and other Asian immigrants. This history is then linked to the present day through the example of the negative impact of politicians' calling the contemporary COVID-19 pandemic "Kung Flu." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper interrogates the theoretical and empirical bases for conclusions about the placement and strength of color lines in the United States given the new immigration. It presents recent data on intermarriage and multiracial identification and examines differences among whites, blacks, Latinos, and Asians. The higher rates of intermarriage and multiracial identification for Latinos and Asians compared to blacks suggest that the color line may not be as strong (or may be shifting more rapidly) for these newer immigrant groups compared to blacks. The authors find evidence of a new color line that is no longer divided by black and white (and by implication white and nonwhite) but rather by black and nonblack. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I estimate the frequencies of interracial kin relations, an important indicator of the isolation of racial groups in the United States. I use two techniques to estimate the size and heterogeneity of extended families. First, I develop a simple model that takes account only of kinship network sizes and intermarriage levels by race. This model allows a crude estimation of the frequency of multiracial kinship networks. Second, I produce more precise empirical estimates using a new hot-deck imputation method for synthesizing kinship networks from household-level survey data (the June 1990 Current Population Survey and the 1994 General Social Survey). One in seven whites, one in three blacks, four in five Asians, and more than 19 in 20 American Indians are closely related to someone of a different racial group. Despite an intermarriage rate of about 1%, about 20% of Americans count someone from a different racial group among their kin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the severity of the COVID-19 outbreak, we characterize the nature of the growth trajectories of counties in the United States using a novel combination of spectral clustering and the correlation matrix. As the United States and the rest of the world are still suffering from the effects of the virus, the importance of assigning growth membership to counties and understanding the determinants of the growth is increasingly evident. For the two communities (faster versus slower growth trajectories) we cluster the counties into, the average between-group correlation is 88.4% whereas the average within-group correlations are 95.0% and 93.8%. The average growth rate for one group is 0.1589 and 0.1704 for the other, further suggesting that our methodology captures meaningful differences between the nature of the growth across various counties. Subsequently, we select the demographic features that are most statistically significant in distinguishing the communities: number of grocery stores, number of bars, Asian population, White population, median household income, number of people with the bachelor's degrees, and population density. Lastly, we effectively predict the future growth of a given county with a long short-term memory (LSTM) recurrent neural network using three social distancing scores. The best-performing model achieves a median out-of-sample R2 of 0.6251 for a four-day ahead prediction and we find that the number of communities and social distancing features play an important role in producing a more accurate forecasting. This comprehensive study captures the nature of the counties' growth in cases at a very micro-level using growth communities, demographic factors, and social distancing performance to help government agencies utilize known information to make appropriate decisions regarding which potential counties to target resources and funding to. for this article, including a standardized description of the materials available for reproducing the work, are available as an online supplement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes and interprets some of the events associated with the demographic and economic restructuring that has occurred in Flushing, in the Borough of Queens in New York City. Since the liberalization of the U.S. immigration laws in 1965, many of New York's neighborhoods have been transformed by the rapid influx of immigrants. In the case of Flushing, the majority of newcomers have been Asians, particularly from China, Korea, and the Indian subcontinent. The introduction of Asian capital and enterprise into the neighborhood has revitalized what was considered to be an ailing economy and a sluggish housing market. From the perspective of some of the long-term residents, however, the costs of progress have outweighed the benefits. The paper examines the public discourse accompanying the Asianization of Flushing, centering on the conflicts that have emerged between capital and community, immigrants and long-term residents, Asians and non-Asians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the earnings and employment of Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, and white men born in the United States. The Chinese and Japanese have higher levels of schooling and earnings than white men, and the Japanese work more weeks. Ceteris paribus, there are no substantive group differences in these variables or in returns from schooling. The Filipinos have a lower level of schooling, earnings, employment, and returns from schooling. It is, therefore, not appropriate to view Asian-Americans as a single disadvantaged minority group. Further, the success of the Chinese and Japanese challenges conventional wisdom regarding the consequences of racial discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Differences in experiences of care reported by Asian Americans (Asians) compared to non-Hispanic Whites (Whites) may be due to lack of measurement invariance. Methods: We evaluated the three-factor structure and the equivalence of responses to the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®) Clinical and Group (CG-CAHPS) Adult Visit Survey 1.0 and compared care experiences of Asians and Whites. Thirteen questions were used to elicit reports about specific aspects of care and two questions assessed overall care perceptions. This analysis of the CAHPS database included 769 providers and 266,327 respondents. Most surveys (98%) were administered by mail and the rest (2%) by phone. Only 0.5% of the surveys were administered in Spanish. The sample was 64% female, 89% White and 2% Asian, 39% 65 years or older, and 32% were high school graduates or less. Results: A three-factor model was supported by categorical confirmatory factor analysis using weighted least squares with mean and variance adjustment: confirmatory fit index (CFI) = 0.99 and root mean squared error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.03). A multi-group configural invariance model also fit the data well: (CFI = 0.993, RMSEA = 0.031). Regression models indicated that Asians reported worse access, lower scores on office staff courtesy and helpfulness and rating their doctors and were less likely to recommend their doctors to family/friends than did Whites. Conclusions: Use of the CG-CAHPS Adult Visit Survey 1.0 to assess perceptions of care by Asians and Whites is supported. Quality improvement efforts are needed to address worse experiences of care among Asians in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Updated prevalence and outcome data for nonobese NAFLD for the multi-ethnic US population is limited.Objectives: We aimed to investigate the prevalence, clinical characteristics and mortality of obese and nonobese individuals with NAFLD in the United Sates.Methods: A retrospective study was conducted using the 1999-2016 NHANES databases. We determined hazard ratio stratified by obesity status in NAFLD individuals using Cox regression and log-rank test.Results: Overall NAFLD prevalence was 32.3%: 22.7% were obese and 9.6% were nonobese, with increasing trend over time for obese NAFLD, but not nonobese NAFLD. Amongst those with NAFLD, 29.7% (95% CI: 27.8%-31.7%) were nonobese, of which 13.6% had lean NAFLD. Nonobese NAFLD was more common in older (40.9% if ≥ 65 vs. 24.2% if < 65 years), male (34.0% vs. 24.2%) and foreign-born Asian people (39.8% vs. 11.4%) and uncommon in black (11.5% vs 30-35% in other ethnicities, P < 0.001). Metabolic comorbidities were common in nonobese NAFLD individuals who also had more advanced fibrosis. Nonobese NAFLD individuals had higher 15-year cumulative all-cause mortality (51.7%) than obese NAFLD (27.2%) and non-NAFLD (20.7%) (P < 0.001). However, DM and fibrosis, but neither obese nor nonobese NAFLD compared to non-NAFLD was independently associated with higher mortality.Conclusion: Nonobese NAFLD makes up about one-third of the NAFLD in the United States (even higher in older, male and foreign-born individuals) and carries higher mortality than obese NAFLD. Screening for NAFLD should be considered in high-risk groups even in the absence of obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Question: Do the rates at which women transition among different intensities of pregnancy planning vary with age, marital status and race/ethnicity?Summary Answer: Rates of transition from low or moderate pregnancy probability groups (PPGs) to higher PPGs vary by age, marital status and race/ethnicity.What Is Known Already: The design of prospective studies of the effects of pre- and peri-conception exposures on fecundity, pregnancy and children's health is challenging because at any specific time only a small percentage of reproductive age women is attempting to conceive. To our knowledge, there has been no population-based, prospective study that repeatedly assessed pregnancy planning, which included women who were not already planning pregnancy at enrollment and whose ages spanned the female reproductive age range.Study Design, Size, Duration: A longitudinal study was carried out that repeatedly assessed pregnancy probability in 12 916 women for up to 21 months from January 2009 to September 2010.Participants/materials, Setting, Method: We analyzed data from the National Children's Study Vanguard Study, a pilot study for a large-scale epidemiological birth cohort study of children and their parents. During the Vanguard Study, investigators followed population-based samples of reproductive age women in each of seven geographically dispersed and diverse study locations over time to identify when they sought to become pregnant, providing a unique opportunity to prospectively assess changes in pregnancy planning in a large sample of US women. At study entry and each follow-up contact, which occurred at 1, 3 or 6 month intervals depending on PPG, a questionnaire was used to assess behavior dimensions of pregnancy planning to assign women to low, moderate, high non-tryer and high tryer PPGs.Main Results and the Role Of Chance: Crude rates of pregnancy increased with higher assigned PPG, validating the utility of the instrument. The initial PPG and probabilities of transitioning from low or moderate PPG to higher PPG or pregnancy varied with age, marital status and race/ethnicity. Women aged 25 to <35 years had shorter times to transition to higher PPGs or to pregnant compared with women <25 years. Women who were not currently married had longer times to transition from any initial PPG to pregnant, high tryer or high non-tryer status than currently married women. Non-Hispanic Black (NHB) and Hispanic women had shorter time to transition from low or moderate to high non-tryer than non-Hispanic White (NHW) women. NHB women also had shorter time to transition from low to high tryer than NHW women. High tryers are more likely to be aged 25 to <30 years, to be married, and to be Hispanic, NHB or other race/ethnicity than women in the low PPG.Limitations, Reasons For Caution: Loss to follow-up varied by age, marital status and race/ethnicity. Although weights were not developed for the Vanguard study, the self-weighting design minimizes the bias of unweighted analysis. Nonetheless, the SEs for some estimates may be under-estimated.Wider Implications Of the Findings: Our results show that demographic characteristics are strong predictors of women's behaviors toward pregnancy. The results further show that frequent follow-up assessments of pregnancy planning behavior in large numbers of women are required to recruit an unbiased sample of preconception women. These findings will be useful to investigators designing prospective studies of fecundability, pregnancy outcomes and children's health.Study Funding/competing Interests: National Institutes of Health (contracts N01-HD53414, N01-HD63416, N01-HD53410, N01-HD53415, N01-HD53396, N01-HD53413 and N01-HD-53411; grant R21 ES016846) and by the University of California Irvine Center for Occupational and Environmental Health. No competing interests.Trial Registration Number: None. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Occupational noise exposure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are common in the United States, but so far their association has not been explored. Given the neuroimmunological effects of noise, such an association seems plausible. Thus, the present study aimed to explore the association of occupational noise exposure with prevalent COPD in the US general population.Materials and Methods: We used data from the population-based National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) 2014. The cross-sectional association of self-reported duration of exposure to very loud noise during participants' occupational lifetime with self-reported COPD and emphysema was explored using weighted logistic regression.Results and Discussion: The fully adjusted model yielded odds ratio (OR)≥15 years = 1.68 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.28, 2.21] for COPD and OR≥15 years = 1.61 (95% CI: 1.13, 2.30) for emphysema. Race/ethnicity was a significant effect modifier. In sensitivity analysis with cumulative noise exposure based on a job exposure matrix, we found no effect.Conclusion: In conclusion, we found a relationship between self-reported occupational noise exposure and the risk of prevalent COPD in the US general population, but none with objective noise levels. Being the first study on the subject matter, and given the design limitations, these findings are tentative and should be treated with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently found that Asians have considerably higher biomarker levels of cadmium, lead, mercury, and arsenic than whites, blacks, Mexican Americans, and other Hispanics in the United States. OBJECTIVE: Our goal was to further evaluate the higher metal biomarker levels among Asians. METHODS: Biomarker data (blood cadmium, blood lead, blood mercury, urinary total arsenic, and urinary dimethylarsinic acic) from individuals ≥ 6 years of age were obtained from the 2011-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). We compared geometric mean levels of these five metal biomarkers in Asians with those of four other NHANES race/ethnic groups (white, black, Mexican American, and other Hispanic), and across three Asian subgroups (Chinese, Asian Indian, and other Asian). We also evaluated associations between biomarker levels and sociodemographic, physical, dietary, and behavioral covariates across the Asian subgroups. RESULTS: Asians had significantly higher levels of all five metal biomarkers than other race/ethnic groups (p < 0.05), regardless of sociodemographic, physical, dietary, behavioral, or geographic characteristics. We also found variations in biomarker levels across the Asian subgroups. In general, Asian Indians had lower levels than the other two Asian subgroups, except for blood lead. The following characteristics were found to be significant predictors of several biomarker levels: sex, age, education, birthplace, smoking, and fish consumption. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the Asian group had the highest geometric mean biomarker levels for all of the five metal variables. Furthermore, we provided evidence that significant variations in the biomarker levels are present across the Asian subgroups in the United States. CITATION: Awata H, Linder S, Mitchell LE, Delclos GL. 2017. Biomarker levels of toxic metals among Asian populations in the United States: NHANES 2011-2012. Environ Health Perspect 125:306-313; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP27 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: We have recently shown that biomarker levels of selected metals are higher in Asians than in other U.S. ethnic groups, with important differences within selected Asian subgroups. Much of this difference may be dietary in origin; however, this is not well established. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated dietary intake of toxic metals as a source of increased biomarker levels of metals among U.S. Asians. METHODS: We estimated daily food consumption and dietary intake of arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury by combining 24-hr dietary intake recall data from the 2011-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) with data from the USDA Food Composition Intake Database and FDA Total Dietary Study. We analyzed associations between dietary metal intake and biomarker levels of the metals using linear regression. Further, estimated food consumption and metal intake levels were compared between Asians and other racial/ethnic groups (white, black, Mexican American, and other Hispanic) and within three Asian subgroups (Chinese, Indian Asian, and other Asians). RESULTS: Significant associations (p < 0.05) were found between biomarker levels and estimated dietary metal intake for total and inorganic arsenic and mercury among Asians. Asians had the highest daily fish and rice consumption across the racial/ethnic groups. Fish was the major contributor to dietary mercury and total arsenic intake, whereas rice was the major contributor to inorganic arsenic dietary intake. Fish consumption across the Asian subgroups varied, with Asian Indians having lower fish consumption than the other Asian subgroups. Rice consumption was similar across the Asian subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: We confirmed that estimated dietary intake of arsenic (total and inorganic) and mercury is significantly associated with their corresponding biomarkers in U.S. Asians, using nationally representative data. In contrast, estimated dietary intake of cadmium and lead were not significantly associated with their corresponding biomarker levels in U.S. Asians. CITATION: Awata H, Linder S, Mitchell LE, Delclos GL. 2017. Association of dietary intake and biomarker levels of arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury among Asian populations in the United States: NHANES 2011-2012. Environ Health Perspect 125:314-323; http://dx.doi. org/10.1289/EHP28 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present investigation was designed to determine the prevalence and types of dual and poly-use of tobacco products in the US Air Force, as well as characteristics and factors associated with these types. We conducted a cross-sectional assessment of tobacco-product use among 13,873 Air Force trainees from 2013 to 2014. The assessment included prevalence of the use of 10 different tobacco products and demographic and environmental factors, such as risk perceptions of tobacco use, peer use, and tobacco-company influences. Latent class analysis was carried out to determine types of poly-tobacco users. Tobacco-product use was reported by 27.1% of participants, and of those, over half reported using more than 1 tobacco product. Latent class analysis indicated 5 classes of poly-tobacco use. Factors associated with poly-tobacco (vs. mono-tobacco) use included lower confidence to remain tobacco-free, low harm perceptions, and receiving tobacco products free at bars or social events. Rates of dual and poly-tobacco use are high among trainees, and while these groups are similar to mono users in some ways, there are a number of differences that need to be considered when developing targeted interventions to address use of multiple tobacco products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Since the enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the rate of uninsured in the United States has declined significantly. However, not all legal residents have benefited equally. As part of a community-based participatory research (CBPR) partnership with the Marshallese community, an interpretative policy analysis research project was conducted to document Marshallese Compact of Free Association (COFA) migrants' understanding and experiences regarding the ACA and related health policies. This article is structured to allow the voice of Marshallese COFA migrants to explain their understanding and interpretation of the ACA and related polices on their health in their own words. Methods: Qualitative data was collected from 48 participants in five focus groups conducted at the local community center and three individual interviews for those unable to attend the focus groups. Marshallese community co-investigators participated throughout the research and writing process to ensure that cultural context and nuances in meaning were accurately captured and presented. Community co-investigators assisted with the development of the semi-structured interview guide, facilitated focus groups, and participated in qualitative data analysis. Results: Content analysis revealed six consistent themes across all focus groups and individual interviews that include: understanding, experiences, effect on health, relational/historical lenses, economic contribution, and pleas. Working with Marshallese community co-investigators, we selected quotations that most represented the participants' collective experiences. The Marshallese view the ACA and their lack of coverage as part of the broader relationship between the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) and the United States. The Marshallese state that they have honored the COFA relationship, and they believe the United States is failing to meet its obligations of care and support outlined in the COFA. Conclusion: While the ACA and Medicaid Expansion have reduced the national uninsured rate, Marshallese COFA migrants have not benefited equally from this policy. The lack of healthcare coverage for the Marshallese COFA migrants exacerbates the health disparities this underserved population faces. This article is an important contribution to researchers because it presents the Marshallese's interpretation of the policy, which will help inform policy makers that are working to improve Marshallese COFA migrant health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To detect the presence of racial and ethnic pay disparities between minority and white hospital RNs using a national sample.Data Sources/study Setting: The National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses, 2008, which is representative at both the state and national level.Study Design: Cross-sectional data were analyzed using multivariate regression and regression decomposition. Differences between groups were decomposed into differences in the possession of characteristics and differences in the value of the same characteristic between different groups, the latter being a commonly used measure of wage discrimination.Data Collection/extraction Methods: As the majority of minority hospital RNs are employed within the most densely populated (central) counties of metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), only hospital RNs employed in the central counties of MSAs were selected.Principal Findings: Regression decomposition found that black and Hispanic RNs earned less than whites and Asians, while Asian RNs earned more than white RNs. The majority of pay variation between white RNs, versus Asian, black, or Hispanic RNs was due to unexplained differences in the value of the same characteristic between groups.Conclusions: Differences in earnings between underrepresented and overrepresented hospital RNs is suggestive of discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine how similar racial/ethnic disparities in clinical quality (Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set [HEDIS]) and patient experience (Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems [CAHPS]) measures are for different measures within Medicare Advantage (MA) plans.Data Sources/study Setting: 5.7 million/492,495 MA beneficiaries with 2008-2009 HEDIS/CAHPS data.Study Design: Binomial (HEDIS) and linear (CAHPS) hierarchical mixed models generated contract estimates for HEDIS/CAHPS measures for Hispanics, blacks, Asian-Pacific Islanders, and whites. We examine the correlation of within-plan disparities for HEDIS and CAHPS measures across measures.Principal Findings: Plans with disparities for a given minority group (vs. whites) for a particular measure have a moderate tendency for similar disparities for other measures of the same type (mean r = 0.51/.21 and 53/34 percent positive and statistically significant for CAHPS/HEDIS). This pattern holds to a lesser extent for correlations of CAHPS disparities and HEDIS disparities (mean r = 0.05/0.14/0.23 and 4.4/5.6/4.4 percent) positive and statistically significant for blacks/Hispanics/API.Conclusions: Similarities in CAHPS and HEDIS disparities across measures might reflect common structural factors, such as language services or provider incentives, affecting several measures simultaneously. Health plan structural changes might reduce disparities across multiple measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Seven Countries Study in the 1960s showed very low mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD) in Japan, which was attributed to very low levels of total cholesterol. Studies of migrant Japanese to the USA in the 1970s documented increase in CHD rates, thus CHD mortality in Japan was expected to increase as their lifestyle became Westernized, yet CHD mortality has continued to decline since 1970. This study describes trends in CHD mortality and its risk factors since 1980 in Japan, contrasting those in other selected developed countries.Methods: We selected Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the USA. CHD mortality between 1980 and 2007 was obtained from WHO Statistical Information System. National data on traditional risk factors during the same period were obtained from literature and national surveys.Results: Age-adjusted CHD mortality continuously declined between 1980 and 2007 in all these countries. The decline was accompanied by a constant fall in total cholesterol except Japan where total cholesterol continuously rose. In the birth cohort of individuals currently aged 50-69 years, levels of total cholesterol have been higher in Japan than in the USA, yet CHD mortality in Japan remained the lowest: >67% lower in men and > 75% lower in women compared with the USA. The direction and magnitude of changes in other risk factors were generally similar between Japan and the other countries.Conclusions: Decline in CHD mortality despite a continuous rise in total cholesterol is unique. The observation may suggest some protective factors unique to Japanese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The study tested the efficacy of providing distance learning with real-time videoconferencing to broaden high school student knowledge of health careers. Methods: A pilot program was tried out and extended over ten years to include other schools in four different time zones and the National Library of Medicine. Survey results, site visits, and continued school participation were used as effectiveness indicators. Student ratings, site visits, and ongoing discussions were used to evaluate critical factors in the program. Results: Nine program factors contributed to success. Conclusions: Synchronous communication can be effective for outreach to special populations given appropriate infrastructure, technology, program design, and implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today’s typical minority student attends school with fewer whites than his counterpart in 1970. This apparent resegregation of U.S. schools has sparked outrage and debate. Some blame a rollback of desegregation policies designed to distribute students more evenly among schools; others blame the changing racial composition of the student population. This study clarifies the link between distributive processes of segregation, population change, and school racial composition by framing school segregation as a mode of social closure. I use a novel decomposition approach to determine the relative contributions of distributive processes and compositional change in the apparent resegregation of schools from 1993 to 2010. For the most part, compositional changes are to blame for the declining presence of whites in minorities’ schools. During this period, whites and minorities actually became more evenly distributed across schools, helping increase minority students’ exposure to whites. Further decompositions reveal the continued success of district-level desegregation efforts, but the greatest barrier to progress appears to be the uneven distribution of students between school districts in the same area. These findings call for new research and new policies to address contemporary school segregation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]