Examining Inter-Ethnic Mortality and Life Expectancy Differentials Among Asians in the United States

Darwin Baluran , Vanderbilt University
Evelyn J. Patterson, Vanderbilt University

Even as the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the United States, Asians remain an underrepresented and understudied group. Moreover, research on Asians in the United States has been limited to traditional immigrant destinations. Thus, a gap exists in our understanding of the variations in mortality patterns among Asian ethnic groups. This study addresses that gap by examining the variations in key health indicators among the six largest Asian ethnic groups in the United States—Chinese, Filipinos, Asian Indians, Vietnamese, Koreans, and Japanese. Utilizing data from the Multiple Cause of Death File (2016) and the American Community Survey (2012-2016), we analyze health differentials among disaggregated Asian groups at national and subnational levels. This study focuses on socioeconomic status, geography, and nativity as key factors to explicate the patterns of health inequality among various Asian groups. More importantly, it highlights the heterogeneity of the communities subsumed under the monolithic Asian category.

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 Presented in Session 195. History, Demography, and Racial Inequality