Reproductive Health Indicators for
Asian Women in Massachusetts
Susan E. Manning, MD, MPH
CDC Maternal and Child Health
Epidemiology Assignee
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Background
• Asian-Americans are a diverse population
• Often stereotyped as the “healthy minority”
• Asian American women have highest life
expectancy (85.8 years) in U.S.
• Grouping Asian Americans into a single category
can masks disparities in health outcomes
Births by Race and Asian Ethnicity,
Massachusetts PRAMS, 2007-2010
Teen Births (<20 yrs) by Race and Asian
Ethnicity, 2010 MA Birth Data
25
Percent
20
15
11.7
10
5.4
5
0
3.5
2.0
2.9
*
* Calculations based on 1-4 events are excluded.
0.3
*
*
Preterm Births by Race and Asian
Ethnicity, 2010 MA Birth Data
25
Percent
20
15
10
5
0
8.6
8.2
8.1
7.5
9.4
6.7
8.4
8.8
9.3
Low Birthweight Births by Race and
Asian Ethnicity, 2010 MA Birth Data
25
Percent
20
15
10.6
10
5
0
7.8
7.0
8.6
10.3
9.7
5.7
7.0
7.6
Percent
Adequate Prenatal Care* by Race and
Asian Ethnicity, MA Births 2010
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
84.9
87.3
85.1
87.2
81.6
85.4
86.3
86.0
81.3
* Adequacy of prenatal care is based on the Adequacy of Prenatal Care Utilization (APNCU) Index.
Unintended Pregnancy by Asian Ethnicity,
MA PRAMS 2007-2010
Asian Indian
Japanese
Chinese
Korean
Filipino
Total Asian
Other Asian
Vietnamese
Cambodian
13.4 *
17.3 *
23.5 *
24.8
25.4
26.3
34.5
38.8
48.7 *
MA
32.5
0
10
20
30
40
Percent
* Statistically significantly lower than the state total.
* Statistically significantly higher than the state total.
50
60
70
Breastfeeding Exclusively at 8 Weeks Asian
Ethnicity, MA PRAMS 2007-2010
Cambodian
Vietnamese
Korean
Chinese
Total Asian
Other Asian
Japanese
Asian Indian
Filipino
32.0
33.5
37.0
41.2
42.3
42.8
43.8
47.4
63.9
MA
45.9
0
10
20
30
40
Percent
No statistically significant differences observed.
50
60
70
Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) by Asian
Ethnicity, MA PRAMS 2007-2010
15.8 *
Vietnamese
Filipino
15.3 *
14.4 *
Asian Indian
Japanese
12.1
Total Asian
11.6 *
11.6 *
Chinese
Korean
10.3
Other Asian
5.5
Cambodian
4.8
Massachusetts
6.7
0
5
10
15
Percent
* Statistically significantly higher than the state total.
20
25
Postpartum Check-up by Asian
Ethnicity, MA PRAMS 2007-2010
% of Women Not Receiving a 6-week Post-Partum Check-up
Japanese
Asian Indian
Chinese
Korean
Total Asian
Cambodian
Vietnamese
Other Asian
Filipino
2.1
3.8
3.8
3.9
5.7
5.7
9.8
10.4
12.7
Massachusetts
5.9
0
5
10
15
Percent
No statistically significant differences observed.
20
25
Discussion
• Asian women as a group do as well or better than
other racial groups on a variety of reproductive
health indicators
• Important differences exist when examined by
subgroup
• Data limitations include small numbers for some
subgroups and limited languages included in PRAMS
(English and Spanish only)
• Disaggregation of Asian ethnic groups is needed to
accurately reflect risk factors and health outcomes
and appropriately inform interventions
Questions?