Observances ~ May
Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month

In 1978, a joint congressional resolution established Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week. The first 10 days of May were chosen to coincide with two important milestones in Asian/Pacific American history: the arrival in the United States of the first Japanese immigrants (May 7, 1843) and contributions of Chinese workers to the building of the transcontinental railroad, completed May 10, 1869. In 1992, Congress expanded the observance to a monthlong celebration.¹

During the observance of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, we celebrate the cultural traditions, ancestry, native languages, and unique experiences represented among more than 47 ethnic groups from Asia and the Pacific Islands (speaking over 100 languages) who live in the United States. We also recognize millions of AAPIs whose love of family, hard work, and community has helped unite us as a people and sustain us as a Nation.²

AAPIs represent one of the fastest-growing and most diverse populations in the United States.³ According to the 2003 President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Report to the President and the Nation, AAPIs comprise many populations that make critically important contributions to American life. Their communities often are described as a “model minority” that generally enjoys superior health status. However, in reality, the AAPI population experiences genuine health disparities in cancer screening, diabetes, and infectious diseases, among others.⁴

Asian Americans

Asian Americans represent the extremes of both socioeconomic and health indices:

Asian American women experience the greatest life expectancy (85.8 years) of any other ethnic group in the U.S.⁴
Asian Americans have the highest proportion of college graduates of any racial or ethnic group (50.2% of Asian Americans have a bachelor’s degree, compared with 28% of the total population).⁵
Asian Americans contend with numerous factors which may threaten their health, including infrequent medical visits due to the fear of deportation, language/cultural barriers, and the lack of health insurance.
Asian Americans are at a greater risk for: cancer, heart disease, stroke, unintentional injuries (accidents), and diabetes.⁴
Asian Americans also have a high prevalence and risk factors for: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hepatitis B, HIV/AIDS, smoking, tuberculosis, and liver disease.⁴

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Native Hawaiian & Other Pacific Islanders

The U.S.-associated Pacific Island Jurisdictions comprises three Flag Territories:

Native Hawaiians & Other Pacific Islanders

American Samoa
the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)
Guam

and three Freely Associated States:

The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM)
The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI)
The Republic of Palau ⁴

They are U.S. territories made up of hundreds of small islands and atolls spread across about 5 million square miles of ocean—nearly half the size of the United States—with a total population of 469,356 (1999 and 2000 estimates).⁶

It is significant to note that in comparison to other ethnic groups, Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders have higher rates of smoking, alcohol consumption, and obesity.⁷ Major causes of premature death among NHOPIs are obesity, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes.⁷

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Examples of Important Health Disparities Experienced by
Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, & Other Pacific Islanders

The 5-year relative survival rate for all cancers for Native Hawaiians is 47%, compared with 57% for whites and 55% for all races.⁶
In 2008, Asian American women (ages 18+) were least likely to have had a Pap test (65.1%) compared with other racial/ethnic women (non-Hispanic white: 74.9%, non-Hispanic black: 80.0%, Hispanic/Latino: 75.4%, American Indian/Alaska Native: 69.4%).⁸
In 2002, the infant mortality rate for Native Hawaiians was 9.6 per 1,000 live births, higher than the rate for all AAPIs combined (4.8), and for all populations (7.0).⁹
In 2005, AAPIs aged 40 years and older were 1.2 times more likely to have Hepatitis B (3.5 per 100,000) than non-Hispanic whites (2.9).¹⁰

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For More Information

OMHHE

CDC

US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS)
Office of Minority Health (OMH)

Other Federal Government

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Sources

Notes: * Starting with 2003 data, estimates are not shown for Asian or Pacific Islander subgroups during the transition from single race to multiple race reporting in Source 8.

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