Faculty Bibliography

Chinese Americans experience cancer health disparities throughout the entire cancer continuum. Yet, they remain underrepresented in health research in part due to barriers in recruitment, engagement, and retention. This paper describes the strategies that we devised, by drawing upon our experiences with conducting two culturally sensitive cancer intervention studies, to help researchers improve their recruitment and retention rates of Chinese Americans in health research and address the gap in knowledge on intervention research with this population. The first study assessed the efficacy, adoption, and impact of an intervention, delivered by community health workers, to improve adherence to recommended stomach cancer prevention guidelines for at-risk Chinese Americans. The second study evaluated the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a culturally adapted version of the Expressive Helping intervention for Chinese American cancer patients and survivors. Our main recruitment strategies revolved around building community relationships, developing culturally sensitive materials, and establishing good first impressions with participants. Our main engagement and retention strategies focused on attending to cultural sensitivity, fostering relationships, and using technology. Harnessing the community's inherent strengths and prioritizing cultural understanding is crucial for culturally sensitive health research with Chinese Americans.

OBJECTIVES/OBJECTIVE:Patient-provider communication is essential for patient-centered care, yet Asian American immigrant populations face barriers. We aim to describe: 1) patient-reported communication-related characteristics for 16 disaggregated Asian American subgroups; and 2) the association of patient comprehension of provider communication with socio-demographics, language proficiency and concordance, and perceived cultural sensitivity in this population. METHODS:Descriptive statistics are presented for 1269 Asian American immigrants responding to cross-sectional, venue-sampled surveys conducted in New York City. Logistic regression models examine predictors of low comprehension of provider communication. RESULTS:Approximately 11% of respondents reported low comprehension of provider communication: lowest among South Asians and highest among Southeast Asians. Eighty-four percent were language-concordant with their provider, 90.1% agreed that their provider understood their background and values, and 16.5% felt their provider looked down on them. Low comprehension of provider communication was significantly associated with Southeast Asian subgroup, less education, limited English proficiency, public health insurance, patient-provider language discordance, and perceived low cultural understanding. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Among our sample, language and cultural sensitivity are associated with comprehension of provider communication. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS/CONCLUSIONS:Strategies improving language access and cultural sensitivity may be important for Asian immigrant patients. These could include interpretation services, bilingual community-based providers, and cultural sensitivity training.

BACKGROUND:Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among Hispanic Americans. Puerto Ricans are the second largest Hispanic subgroup in the USA and the largest in New York City, but little is known about predictors of colorectal cancer screening uptake in this population. AIMS/OBJECTIVE:We used the New York City Community Health Survey, a population-based telephone survey, to investigate predictors of up-to-date colonoscopy use over time among Puerto Ricans aged ≥ 50 years in NYC. METHODS:We assessed the association between sociodemographic and medical factors and up-to-date colonoscopy use (defined as colonoscopy within the last 10 years) using univariable and multivariable logistic regression over six time periods: 2003-2005, 2006-2008, 2009-2010, 2011-2012, 2013-2014, and 2015-2016. RESULTS:On multivariable analysis, age ≥ 65 years (OR 1.64-1.93 over three periods) and influenza vaccination (OR 1.86-2.17 over five periods) were the two factors most consistently associated with up-to-date colonoscopy use. Individuals without a primary care provider (OR 0.38-0.50 over three periods) and who did not exercise (OR 0.49-0.52 over two periods) were significantly less likely to have an up-to-date colonoscopy. CONCLUSIONS:Older age, influenza vaccination, having a primary care provider, and exercise are independent predictors of up-to-date colonoscopy use among Puerto Ricans in NYC. Interventions to improve screening colonoscopy uptake among Puerto Ricans should be targeted to those aged 50-64 years and who do not have a primary care provider.

To assess colorectal cancer (CRC) screening among South Asians (SAs) and explore the challenges and facilitators to CRC screening among SA subgroups in New York City (NYC). Fifty-one semi-structured in-depth interviews and surveys were conducted among SA immigrants in NYC. Qualitative results suggested challenges to CRC screening were related to socio-cultural factors, such as a lack of knowledge on CRC and CRC screening, and structural factors, such as cost and language. A physician referral was the most cited facilitator to CRC screening. Participants reported culturally and linguistically adapted education and information on CRC and CRC screening would help to overcome noted challenges. Our findings support the development of targeted, linguistically and culturally adapted campaigns for this population that facilitate access to health systems and leverage natural community assets and social support systems.

Background: With the rapidly aging US population, Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) are increasingly important issues for research (Alzheimer's Association, 2019). Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) are becoming a larger portion of seniors, as the fasted growing minority in the US (National Asian Pacific Center on Aging, 2018; US Census Bureau, 2018). The NYU Center for the Study of Asian American Health (CSAAH), conducted a scoping review showing there is little AD/ADRD research disaggregated by AANHPI subgroups. This study aims to learn about challenges, facilitators, socio-cultural norms, and strategies in conducting research on AD/ADRD and designing interventions for AANHPIs.
Method(s): We conducted eight semi-structured key informant qualitative interviews with local/national community leaders from CSAAH's Community Partner Network and National Advisory Committee using a modified snowball sampling approach. Leaders represented Korean, Filipino, South Asian, and Native Hawaiian communities and many worked directly in senior services. Interviews were coded using Dedoose and analyzed using inductive content theme analysis. Two coders developed a codebook and theme list through discussion and consensus.
Result(s): Community priorities included: a cultural expectation to age at home; a need for AD/ADRD education and services; cultural competency of healthcare systems; and engaging family/social support systems. Stigma was variable within and between communities, stemming from a lack of information and openness. Financial costs and limited resources were challenges. AD/ADRD information sources and availability of in-language materials varied, and a need for research in specific subgroups was noted.
Conclusion(s): Several challenges including lack of in-language information, financial barriers and lack of resources, and facilitators including family and social support, were identified. Next steps include applying findings to inform a strategic plan for healthy aging and AD/ADRD research for AANHPIs, including advocating for subgroup-specific research particularly in NHPIs and South Asians

In the United States (US), chronic disease risk factors are highly prevalent among Asian immigrant communities, who also exhibit low health screening rates. Perceived neighborhood social cohesion (NSC) has been associated with preventive healthcare use in the general US population, although it remains unexplored among Asian Americans (AAs). The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between NSC and preventive screening for hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, and depression among East, South and Southeast Asian American (EAA, SAA, SEAA) communities in New York City (NYC) using cross-sectional, locally collected data from 2013 to 2016. NSC was assessed using a 4-question scale to create an additive score between 4 and 16 and was analyzed both as a continuous and categorial variable (High, Medium, and Low tertiles). Recent screening was defined as a check-up within the last year for each of the included health conditions. A one-unit increase in NSC score was associated with increased odds of recent screening for high cholesterol in EAAs (AOR = 1.09, 95%CI:1.00-1.20); for high cholesterol, diabetes, and depression in SAAs (AOR = 1.08, 95%CI:1.00-1.20; AOR = 1.07, 95%CI:1.00-1.15; AOR = 1.15, 95%CI:1.06-1.25); and with high cholesterol among SEAAs (AOR = 1.12, 95%CI:1.00-1.25). Overall, NSC was an important facilitator for preventive screening behaviors for specific conditions in different groups, though was consistently associated with screening for high cholesterol in our sample. Enhancing NSC through family and community-based programming may be one strategy to encourage screening for preventive behaviors, though more research is needed to elucidate a precise mechanism.

Background: Chinese Americans make up the largest subgroup of the Asian American population in the US and are the largest Asian subset in New York City, where the population of Chinese Americans is 547,886; 72% are foreign-born, 34% lack a high school diploma, 61% have limited English proficiency (LEP), and 21% are living in poverty. Cancer is the leading cause of date among Chinese New Yorkers who suffer a disproportionately high burden for specific cancers, including nasopharyngeal, liver, and stomach cancer. Despite this cancer burden, Chinese Americans are at high risk for poorly controlled and managed pain in clinic and hospital settings and underrepresented in pain related research. The goal of the CAPE project is to understand the concepts of pain and pain experience and identify potential facilitators and barriers to pain treatment and satisfaction among limited-Englishproficient Chinese American inpatients treated at a New York City-based hospital.
Method(s): Kleinman's Patient's Explanatory Model of Illness and principles of social marketing served as guiding frameworks. In addition, a scoping review was conducted of electronic databases including PubMed, Google Scholar, and the gray literature on the pain management literature for Chinese American patients to further inform the interview topic guide and survey instrument. Key search terms included combinations of "Asian American,""Chinese," "Chinese American," "cancer," "pain," "pain management," and "pain experience." Chinese Americanpatients who requested services in Chinese language (e.g., Cantonese, Mandarin) will participate in a one-timequalitative interview and survey data collection. A sample of 25 participants will be recruited or until data saturationis achieved. All data collection will be conducted in the patients' preferred language. Analysis of the qualitative datawill utilize the techniques of narrative analysis and constant comparison analytic approach.
Result(s): The scoping review identified significant gaps in the extant literature. Findings highlighted the lack ofintervention or clinical trial studies to address pain and cancer-related pain management for Chinese Americanpatients despite data confirming high rates of dissatisfaction with pain management in clinic and hospital settings.Qualitative data will be assessed to identify themes related to factors to inform the development of strategies andprograms on optimal and cultural relevant pain management.
Conclusion(s): To improve quality of cancer care for Chinese American patients, study findings will inform thecultural adaption of hospital-based pain management programs and services and practice recommendations tofacilitate culturally relevant pain treatment for this vulnerable patient population

Background: Gastric cancer is the third most common cause of cancer death worldwide. In the US, gastric cancer incidence for Chinese Americans is nearly twice that for non-Hispanic whites. Cancer is the leading cause of death among Chinese New Yorkers who experience higher mortality for gastric cancer than other New Yorkers overall. The bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is the strongest risk factor for gastric cancer, and eradication of H. pylori through triple antibiotic therapy is the most effective prevention strategy for gastric cancer. Despite the elevated burden, there are no culturally and linguistically tailored evidence-based intervention strategies to address H. pylori medication adherence and gastric cancer prevention for Chinese Americans in NYC, a largely foreign-born (72%), limited English proficient (61%), and low-income (21% living in poverty) population.
Objective(s): The study objective was to develop and pilot a community health worker (CHW)-delivered linguistically and culturally adapted gastric cancer prevention intervention to improve H. pylori treatment adherence and address modifiable cancer prevention risk factors, including improved nutrition for low-income, LEP, Chinese American immigrants.
Method(s): We used a mixed methods and community-engaged research approach to develop and pilot the intervention curriculum and materials. Methods included: 1) a comprehensive scoping review of the peer-reviewed and grey literature on gastric cancer prevention programs and strategies targeting Chinese Americans; 2) 15 key informant interviews with gatekeepers and stakeholders serving the New York Chinese immigrant community to assess the knowledge and perception of H. pylori infection and gastric cancer among Chinese New Yorkers; and 3) pilot implementation of the collaboratively developed intervention with H. pylori-infected LEP Chinese immigrant participants (n=7).
Result(s): Study process findings and pilot results will be presented. Preliminary results indicate high patient- and community-level need and acceptability for the intervention. Baseline and 1-month post-treatment outcomes and survey data, qualitative data analysis of the CHW session notes, and key informant interviews will be presented.
Conclusion(s): Findings suggest that a CHW-delivered culturally adapted gastric cancer prevention intervention can result in meaningful health information and treatment adherence for at-risk, low-income Chinese immigrant communities. Study findings are being applied to inform a randomized controlled trial being implemented in safety net hospital settings