Asian Americans

Photo: Two childrenAsian Americans represent the extremes of both socioeconomic and health indices:

Asian American women experience the greatest life expectancy (85.8 years) of any other ethnic group in the U.S.
Asian Americans have the highest proportion of college graduates of any racial or ethnic group (50.2% of Asian Americans have a bachelor's degree, compared with 28% of the total population).
Asian Americans contend with numerous factors which may threaten their health, including infrequent medical visits due to the fear of deportation, language/cultural barriers, and the lack of health insurance.
Asian Americans are at a greater risk for: cancer, heart disease, stroke, unintentional injuries (accidents), and diabetes.
Asian Americans also have a high prevalence and risk factors for: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hepatitis B, HIV/AIDS, smoking, tuberculosis, and liver disease.
In 2008, Asian American women (ages 18+) were least likely to have had a Pap test (65.1%) compared with other racial/ethnic women (non-Hispanic white: 74.9%, non-Hispanic black: 80.0%, Hispanic/Latino: 75.4%, American Indian/Alaska Native: 69.4%).