Public health is a top concern in a post-pandemic world, but societal pressures still prevent many Asian Americans from prioritizing their health.
Seung-min Lee, a professor of medicine at the University of California, Irvine, is a social epidemiologist who focuses specifically on the health disparities faced by Asian Americans.
Many Asian immigrants struggle to adapt to new culture and language barriers, which impacts their health. Diligence and diligence are often valued over adequate sleep, contributing to heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.
Additionally, Asian Americans often neglect preventive care and seek medical care only when symptoms occur. Cancer is now the leading cause of death in this population, as effective cancer treatment requires early detection.
Lee said the model minority myth also contributes to the problem by portraying Asians in America as successful and educated, obscuring diversity within the group. It is said that there is. This misconception ignores the huge number of Asian Americans who cannot afford health care, leading to underdiagnosis and undertreatment.
To combat these issues, Lee is involved in two health disparities funded projects with the National Institute of Minority Health. It is a disparities study to assess screening to overcome and prevent colorectal cancer and multifaceted stressors on sleep and health among Asian Americans.
The STOP CRC, as the first is known, addresses the fact that Asian Americans have the lowest colorectal cancer screening rates of all ethnicities in the country. In the study, Lee’s team surveyed 400 Chinese and Korean Americans about the barriers to getting tested for colorectal cancer.
Mr. Lee works closely with physicians to hire and train patient navigators who provide expert advice to patients who respond to survey questions about barriers and misinformation about colorectal cancer screening. So far, testing rates for this cohort have increased by 50 percent.
Lee said the intervention is more effective for low-income people who don’t have access to medical care or health insurance, highlighting the benefits of targeted programs for the Asian American community.
Another of her projects, known as DREAMS, is an observational study in which Lee’s team followed 750 Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese Americans over many years, collecting data on their sleep and health indicators. . Participants will wear a sleep monitoring device and have their biomarkers such as BMI, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels assessed periodically. Through this, Lee hopes to uncover the long-term effects of stress and sleep deprivation on community health.
As a first-generation Korean immigrant, she connects with her research subjects through common experiences. Lee came to the United States to pursue a doctorate at Harvard University, but struggled with discrimination and language, which affected his health and sleep. After talking with others, she learned that these stressors are common among Asian immigrants.
“I feel a responsibility to help the community,” Lee says. “If we don’t, Asians will continue to be understudied and underrepresented in our society and health research.”
To learn more about supporting this and other efforts at UC Irvine, visit the Brilliant Future website. This campaign aims to raise awareness and support for the University of California, Irvine. Medical schools play a critical role in the success of the campaign. For more information, please visit https://brilliantfuture.uci.edu/uci-school-of-medicine.
