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.Asian American immigrantstend to see doctors as a last resort due, in large part, to competing issues asso-ciated with immigrating to a new country, thereby lowering their chance ofearly cancer detection.Because of a lack of knowledge about cancer, AsianAmericans have the lowest rate of cancer screenings and are usually diagnosedin the later stages of the disease.Asian American women in California are lesslikely to have had a mammogram compared white women.26 Researchersbelieve that part of the discrepancy in mammography rates between whitewomen and Asian American women may be because of unequal access toscreening and diagnosis for people of color.The elevated risk for cervical cancer among Asian American populations ispartly because of a lack of knowledge of cervical cancer and Pap screening guide-lines among Asian American women.A Pap smear involves collecting cells fromthe cervix to test for cervical cancer.Asian Americans have the lowest usage ofPap screening of all ethnic groups; however, variation among the subgroups does 280 Encyclopedia of Asian American Issues Todayexist.For example, Filipino American and Korean American women who havelived longer in the United States were more likely to get a Pap screening com-pared with those who have recently arrived.27 As for breast cancer screenings,there is also great variation among Asian American subgroups.Seventy percentof South Asian women in New York had a mammogram in their lifetime, but only56 percent had a mammogram in the past two years.28Fifty-six percent of FilipinoAmerican women complied with an annual mammogram, while JapaneseAmericans had a mammography rate of 78 percent, and Korean American womenin California had a 53 percent mammogram rate.29Overall, Asian Americans have low colorectal cancer screenings.Asian Amer-icans were 30 50 percent less likely than whites to have colorectal cancerscreenings regularly.In fact, Korean Americans had the lowest rate of colorectalscreenings, 49 percent.30 There is little knowledge of colorectal cancer amongAsian Americans, especially if they are recent immigrants, poor, or uninsured.An unmet need among Asian Americans is access to health care and cancerscreening.Asian American women with no health insurance were more likelyto go without screenings for colorectal, breast, and cervical cancers.This is aconcern specifically for Asian Americans who are medically underserved.In2003, California Asian Americans had higher rates of uninsured compared tonon-Hispanic whites.Korean Americans (34.1%), Vietnamese Americans(22.2%), and Chinese Americans (17.4%) had the highest uninsured ratesamong the Asian American ethnic groups in California.31 Screening rates varyamong Asian American groups and are related to a number of factors, includ-ing insurance status, poverty, and language barriers.32 One study found thatChinese Americans, Filipino Americans, and Korean Americans had lower ratesof colorectal, cervical, and breast cancer screening than non-Hispanic whites.33Foreign-born Asian Americans in this study reported that they did not havewellness exams because they did not have any symptoms.In their home coun-try, only an individual who felt sick would see a physician.Even when feelingill or to relieve symptoms individuals may use more often natural herbs or cul-tural exercises, such as acupuncture or tai chi.Cancer DiagnosisThere is a dearth of research on the psychosocial impact of cancer on AsianAmerican survivors and their families, but personal stories reveal enormousunmet needs for emotional support and practical assistance.Asian Americansface difficulties obtaining support because of cultural and linguistic barriers.There are few cancer support groups that are bilingual to help Asian Americansurvivors in coping with their cancer experience.For some individuals, diagnosis of cancer may make them feel alone, over-whelmed, and vulnerable.Cancer survivors often need assistance coping withthe physical and emotional issues that can occur after a cancer diagnosis.Cancer survivors may not receive encouragement and information from theirhealth care provider and/or partner; however, attending a cancer support group Health 281can provide understanding, emotional support, and information with which tolive productive lives.Although support services are available for cancer patients, evidence sug-gests that these services do not address the specific needs of Asian Americancancer survivors.These survivors have often cited inadequacies of availablecancer resources and have expressed their disappointment in the absence ofculturally appropriate services and support.34 There is a need for more cancersupport groups that are culturally tailored to their lifestyle and beliefs.Culturally and linguistically appropriate cancer support groups are available inlarger Asian American concentrated areas.For example, the Chinese Women sCancer Support Group at the Chinatown Public Health Center in San Francisco,CA, was started by Lei Chun Fung in 1994.There cancer survivors discuss con-cerns and issues regarding their illness, such as uncertainties surrounding surgeryand treatment decisions, concerns about nutrition, family relationships, and issuessurrounding the fear of death.Discussions are facilitated by a Cantonese-speakingsocial worker and a public health nurse facilitates the groups and teaches culturalhealing techniques such as tai chi, qi gong, guided visualization, and art therapy.This type of culturally and linguistically appropriate cancer support group pro-vides a safe place for women to share concerns, feelings, and fears, and strength-ens their acceptance and their ability to cope with their cancer diagnosis.Becauseof the high incidence of breast cancer, the focus has been on developing cultur-ally and linguistically appropriate breast cancer support groups.Although support groups address cancer experiences and provide emotionalsupport, they may not provide aid to help the cancer survivors through theirrecovery.Cancer survivors have issues concerning practical assistance, such aslack of insurance, financial assistance, and side effects from the treatment [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]