Survey of Asian teen health highlights importance of distinguishing between ethnic subgroups

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2022-02-04 00:01

New Zealand

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One in five Asian teenagers in Aotearoa have forgone healthcare, and this is likely associated with experiences of discrimination from health professionals and teachers, and not having a family member to talk about their worries with, according to a new study. East Asians were the most likely to have forgone healthcare, especially if they were from a lower socio-economic background, experienced bullying, or didn’t spend much quality time with their families. Authors of the study say their findings highlight the importance of disaggregating Asian ethnicity data in policy and planning. Lumping Asian ethnic groups into one category can obscure important challenges and risk factors for different subgroups.