• Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.90-95
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• 2006

Asian Americans is a minority population contributing approximately 4% to the total population of the United States, however it is one of the fastest growing populations. Although Asian Americans as a group have socioeconomic profiles that are similar to white Americans, significant variations exists within and across Asian ethnic groups. The top ten leading causes of death for Asian Americans includes cancer, heart diseases, stroke, unintentional injuries, diabetes, influenza and pneumonia, chronic lower respiratory disease, suicide, nephritis, and septicemia. The prevalence of obesity is lower among Asian Americans, however this should be taken with considerations specific to Asians. High salt and low calcium consumption seem to be dietary risk factors for Asian Americans, although dietary patterns are changing with acculturation. Factors affecting dietary patterns are discussed in this paper. A proactive nutrition education approach for Asian Americans should be promoting maintaining 'healthy' aspects of ethnic diets and adopting 'healthy' American diets. Collaboration with nutrition educators in Asian countries would be helpful to overcome limited resources available for researching and developing nutrition education messages and materials for Asian Americans. (J Community Nutrition 8(2): 90-95, 2006)

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.4025-4032
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• 2013

Objectives: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most commonly diagnosed cancer for all US populations including Asian Americans. CRC screening has considerable benefits to prevent CRC and reduce mortality. The purpose of this article was to review the published literature on rates of colorectal cancer screening and factors associated with colorectal cancer screening practice among Asian Americans. Methods: Through searching electronic reference databases from 2000 to 2013, 30 articles were found on Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese Americans. Findings: Asian Americans had significantly low ratesfor CRC screening; Korean Americans reported the lowest rates, while higher screening rates were found among Japanese Americans. Older age, longer length of stay in the US, and having a physician's recommendation were the most common facilitators to receiving screening. The common inhibiting factors were financial issues, employment status, and worries/fears about the procedure. Conclusions: Despite a number of Asian Americans being vulnerable to CRC, individual Asian subgroups were underserved with CRC screening and intervention. Further studies should focus on each individual Asian subgroup and culturally proficient CRC screening intervention programs should be developed for each.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.15-29
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• 2001

The purpose of this study was to investigate familism and materialism of the Korean-Americans. A total 370 subject completed structured questionnaires. Major conclusions of this study are as follows: First, the Korean-Americans are found to support familism below average. But subgroup differences (according to age, for example) were discovered. Second, the Korean-Americans are found not to support materialism. But, like familism, subgroup differences by several variables were discovered. Third, among the Korean-Americans, the urban Koreans and the rural Koreans, the rural Koreans are found to support familism most strongly. But theres no difference between the Korean-Americans and the urban Koreans. The Korean-Americans are found not to support materialism.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.28 no.7
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• pp.636-643
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• 1995

This study was conducted to find some differences in infant feeding pattems between well educated Koreans and local populations living in Texas, USA. Initiation rate of exclusive breastfeeding in the hospital was 35.9% in Koreans and 60.4% in Americans. At 2, 4 and 6 months, exclusive breastfeeding rates were 34.0%, 20.8% and 13.2% for Koreans and 47.2%, 34.0% and 27.2% for Americans respectively. There was a significant difference in age of weaning from breast between these two groups(p<0.01). In Koreans the most common reason for the early termination before 4 months was maternal report of milk insufficiency. 55.6% of Koreans and 42.3% of Americans fed infants on scheduled rather on demand feeding. Primary sources of advice about feeding were medical professionals in Americans while baby's grandmother was the main source in Koreans. In Americans, choice of breastfeeding was not associated with ethnicity, maternal education, and family income in the study. Interventions to promote and support participants of Women Infants and Children(WIC) may play a role in Americans. It might be suggested that effective nutrition education programs targeting for Korean mothers to promote breastfeeding should be needed urgently and systematically.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.67-82
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• 2019

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to analyze how the different lifestyles between Koreans and Korean Americans have significant effects on their health. Despite being the same race, Koreans and Korean Americans have different health conditions and health attitudes due to the acquired environmental factors such as social-economic factors, lifestyle risk factors, healthcare systems, and medical utilization. It is crucial to examine how the different lifestyle habits between Koreans and Korean Americans lead to various health conditions for establishing an effective health promotion policy. Methods: In this study, a comparative analysis was conducted using the National Health and Nutrition Survey of Korea and CHIS data of the United States in 2005 and 2015 to provide valuable insights when establishing such a policy. Results: The specific research purpose is as follows: First, socioeconomic factors, such as (1)living habits risk factors, (2)health satisfaction levels, (3)disease outbreaks, and (4)medical uses, are analyzed to find the distinct characteristics among Koreans, Korean Americans, and Americans. Second, the three groups --Koreans, Korean Americans, and Americans-- were compared based on their exposure to disease-related lifestyle risk factors related to their body mass index and their general health condition. The research results are as follows: First, all three groups improved health conditions in 2015 better than in 2005. Koreans maintained relatively higher general health conditions compared to other groups: their prevalence rate of chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and asthma was lower than that of U.S. residents. Second, in regards to health behavior factors, the lifetime smoking experience for Koreans and Americans both decreased in 2015 compared to 2005, while the lifetime smoking experience for Korean Americans increased slightly. The number of smokers for Koreans has greatly decreased over a decade while that of Americans has moderately increased. Third, according to the results of the multiple regression, the general health conditions, which is a dependent variable, suggests that the number of men who answered they are healthy is greater than that of women in Korea, compared to the United States. Conclusions: In conclusion, the acquired environmental factors had more significant impacts on health than the racial factors did. Compared to 2005, the health behaviors and health levels of Korean Americans in 2015 gradually became more similar to those of Americans.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.45-64
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• 2016

In order to understand Korean American immigrants'adjustment to American society, it is important to understand how their life rituals and ethnic identities maintain or change over time and across immigration generations. To achieve this goal, this study examined how Korean Americans who resided in the New York City metropolitan area and New Jersey State performed life rituals and formed ethnic identities. A total of 18 Korean immigrants participated in one-on-one in-depth interviews and the interview data were analyzed with the themes. The results showed that Korean Americans performed life rituals integrating both Korean and American cultural aspects. Many Korean Americans attempted to perform life rituals based on American cultural holidays and procedures. However, a majority of these Koreans also strived to maintain Korean ethnic identities and also practice traditionally Korean life rituals as a way to preserve this ethnic identity. These findings suggest that across time and generation, Korean Americans prefer to maintain their Korean cultural identity, while not shunning the adoption of typical "American" rituals. The way that Korean Americans practice and develop identities differs very little across immigration generation. These findings provide insight on how the Korean government may support foreigners and immigrant families in South Korea and Korean Americans' acculturation processes in the U.S.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.520-528
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• 1997

This study was conducted to develop a food frequency questionnaire for an epidemiological study of dietary patterns and nutrient intake among Koeran American. A random sample of 101 Korean Americans between the ages of 17 and 71 residing in New York and New Jersey was interviewed by the method of 24-hour dietary recall. The foods Korean Americans consumed most frequently were rice (91% of the population), kimchee (81%), coffee(59%), bread(49%), apple(45%), bean sprouts (33%), milk (30%), dried anchovies (27%), eggs(27%), juice (26%), bulgogi, and soybean paste soup (24%, equally. The classification of food items standardized portion sizes were according to both Block's questionnaire and the standardized portion sizes by the Korean Nutrition Association. The value of this food frequency questionnaire is that it can accurately estimate dietary food patterns and nutrient intake among Korean Americans for epidemiological studies. It could also potentially be modified to study the relationship between specific diseases and food intake in the future.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.399-409
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• 2002

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to provide basic data to develop a future health promotion program through the comparison of health promoting behavior and perceived health status between Koreans and Korean-Americans. Methods: The subjects of this study were 411 adults recruited from religious organizations located in the Yongnam area, Korea, and Chicago, U.S.A. The instruments used in the study were Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP) developed by Walker, Sechrist & Pender (1995), and the Health Self Rating Scale designed by North Illinois University. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient, ANCOVA, ANOVA and Duncan test with the SPSS program. Results: 1) The mean HPLP score was 2.26 in Koreans and 2.43 in Korean-Americans, showing a significant difference between the two groups. 2) In subscales of HPLP, both groups showed the highest practices in 'interpersonal relationship' and the lowest practices in 'physical activity'. 3) The mean score of perceived health status was 2.26 in Koreans and 2.43 in Korean-Americans, showing a significant difference between the two groups. 4) Health promoting behavior was significantly different by family income in Koreans, but significantly different by age and family income in Korean-Americans. 5) Perceived health status was significantly different by family income and marital status, but significantly different by age, education, and family income. 6) The HPLP was not correlated with perceived health status in Koreans, but positively correlated with perceived health status in Korean-Americans. Conclusion: The study findings suggest a need to develop a health promotion program, in which physical activity and stress management for Koreans and Korean-Americans are emphasized, and cultural and environmental elements are considered, for better understanding of their health related issues.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.2
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• pp.135-147
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• 1997

This thesis describes pronunciation differences of vowel lengths between Koreans and Americans speaking English words and sentences. This study also analizes the reasons for these differences with the help of acoustic instruments. Sixteen sentences and eight words were selected as the experimental material. The informants for this study were 9 males; 3 Americans and 6 Koreans, who were asked to pronounce the test words and sentences five times. In this study, the acoustical analysis to measure duration was done through computer digital techniques. According to the results of the experiment, duration of 8 English vowels pronounced between Koreans and Americans shows very different features. When Koreans pronounce English vowels, the duration of the stressed vowel in the sentence-final position is much shorter than in other positions, such as in the sentence-initial and in word position. On the contrary, when Americans pronounce English vowels, the duration of the stressed vowel in the sentence-final position is much longer than in other positions. If the correlation between length and stress were to be studied in a more detailed manner, it would give fundamental help to the study of relation between stress and length.

• Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.24-30
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• 2006

Disparities in health and disease between various population subgroups, such as racial and ethnic groups, are a major focus of public health research but also pose considerable challenges. Diet is a key contributor to disparities in many chronic diseases and conditions. Therefore, in order to understand and address racial and ethnic health disparities, it is important to characterize the dietary patterns of the populations of interest. African Americans are at higher risk for many diet-related chronic disease conditions, such as obesity, type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and many cancers relative to other racial/ethnic groups in the United States. In this report, I describe the diet-related chronic disease profiles of African Americans, characterize their dietary patterns and food preferences, identify demographic, psychosocial, environmental, and cultural factors that may affect their dietary choices, and propose strategies for improving the dietary and health profiles of African Americans.