Impact of Social Determinants of Health on The Health Status of Asian Americans

Today, we are in conversation with Dr. Jane Jih. She shares the health risks that are more prevalent among Asian Americans, the impact of social determinants of health and the influences of cultural beliefs on the health outcomes on this population and what can be done from a research perspective to address Asian-American's needs better.

Dr. Jane Jih is a practicing adult primary care physician and investigator in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of California San Francisco. Her health equity research focuses on the impact of social determinants of health on chronic disease care and patient-clinician communication including the use of photos as a tool to communicate about health and social factors. She is a Taiwanese American, Chicago native, and mama to two young children.

Question of the day: We want to encourage our Asian American listeners to reflect on their own healthcare experiences; please share with us if you’ve ever encountered any cultural or language barriers that made it difficult for you to communicate your health needs to your provider and what you wished they did differently.

“I think really advocating for yourself, for you. If you don't understand it in English, you speak English, ask them to re-explain to you in a way that you understand.“

In this episode you will learn:
Understanding Health Risks Among Asian Americans
Cultural Beliefs and Health Outcomes in the AA Community
Challenging Health Disparities for Asian American Immigrants
Promoting Health Literacy for Diverse Asian American Communities

Connect with Yumlish:

Connect with Dr. Jane Jih:

Key Points:
00:00 Intro with Shireen
00:26 Welcome Dr. Jane Jih
03:50 Health Risks That Are More Prevalent Among Asian Americans
07:52 In What Ways Do Social Determinants of Health Affect The Health Outcomes of Asian Americans?
14:12 Do Cultural Beliefs Influence the Health Outcomes of Asian Americans?
19:52 What Makes It Challenging to Address Health Disparities in the Asian Community?
25:48 Is There a Generational Difference When IT Comes to the Health Burden Experienced By Immigrants?
28:58 How To Keep Research Culturally Sensitive to the Needs of Such a Diverse Group of People
31:45 How Can We Promote Health Literacy?
35:52 Outro with Shireen