Course Objective
- To describe health disparities that affect Asian communities
- To describe the factors that contribute to health disparities among Asian communities
- To list the growing health issues that affect Asian populations
Date: May 3, 2017
Presenter:
Su Wang, MD, MPH
Medical Director
Center for Asian Health, Saint Barnabas Medical Center
More than half of the people infected with hepatitis B in America are Asian, despite this population having above average education and income. This leads to their increased incidence of and mortality from liver cancer. As many as 2 out of 3 patients with chronic hepatitis B may be unaware they are infected because it is often asymptomatic and doctors are underscreening. Dr. Su Wang discusses the disparities faced by the Asian population around hepatitis B and its associated complications, with a particular focus on the Asian population in New Jersey and the community partnerships that have been formed there to increase screening, vaccination, and treatment of hepatitis in this population. These disparities are a result of a combination of factors, including language barriers, cultural health traditions, being less likely than other ethnic groups to practice preventive care, and general clinical disparities (such as the diabetes epidemic occurring in this population). Dr. Wang also details the work being done by the WHO and the World Hepatitis Alliance in the #NoHep campaign in their effort to eradicate the public health problem of hepatitis B and hepatitis C by 2030.
