Issue 65 • NOVEMBER 15, 2023
👋 Good morning, and welcome back to The Yappie’s AAPI politics briefing — your guide to the policy news and activism affecting Asian Americans + Pacific Islanders. S
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— Edited by Shawna Chen
THE BIG STORY
The Naval Health Clinic Hawaii on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Oahu. Photo courtesy of Defense Visual Information Distribution Service via PICRYL
Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders have second highest cardiovascular death rate in U.S., new analysis finds
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Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander adults experience cardiovascular deaths at rates roughly double that of Asian adults in the U.S., a new study finds—and that gap is growing.
📃 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
The preliminary analysis, which uses data from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, shows that the number of cardiovascular deaths among NHPIs has only increased since 2018, when the center began collecting data on NHPIs separate from the “Asian” category.
Conducted in collaboration with the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa in Honolulu, the findings were presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions in Philadelphia last week.
Of the heart disease and stroke deaths among the study’s NHPI participants, 25% were attributed to Native Hawaiians, 24% to Samoans, 11% to Guamanians or Chamorros, and 40% to “other” Pacific Islanders.
Meanwhile: Black adults experienced the highest rates of cardiovascular deaths, while Asians alone were the lowest-ranking racial group.
Governmental and private institutions alike have historically grouped Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders under the “Asian” umbrella—masking disproportionate health disparities among specific ethnic groups.
The disaggregated data that does exist points to heart disease, diabetes, and cancer as some of the leading causes of death for NHPIs, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health.
They experience a “disproportionate burden” of cardiovascular disease risk factors compared to white and Asian Americans, per a 2022 study that examined data from 2011 to 2015.
That was only exacerbated during the pandemic. NHPI infection rates were the highest out of all racial or ethnic groups in 14 of the 21 states that disaggregated data for NHPIs, Vox’s Rachel Ramirez notes. In Los Angeles County alone, they contracted COVID-19 at rates up to five times that of white people.
These statistics don’t exist in a vacuum. The United States’ and Europeans’ colonial legacy in the Pacific dramatically impacted NHPIs’ diets and food economies and continues to predispose many Pacific Islanders to severe health issues.
Exploitative colonial initiatives, such as mining or planting cash crops, meant that land historically used to cultivate food was inaccessible to most Pacific Islanders after World War II. Without a main food source, many Pacific Islanders had to turn to imported, nutrient-poor food products instead—which contributed to the emergence of risk factors associated with obesity.
That history of oppression includes the loss of cultural practices and forced assimilation to the dominant Western culture, according to epidemiologist Rebecca Woodruff, who served as lead researcher on the analysis presented last week.
“The resulting historical trauma has profoundly altered the economic realities and environmental conditions of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations, contributing to the high prevalence of chronic diseases and related risk factors,” Woodruff told American Heart Association News.
Now, decades later, government agencies are starting to pay attention.
Earlier this month, scientists at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa received a $4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to investigate diabetes, heart, and lung health disparities among Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and Asian Americans.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also awarded $3.5 million to Hawai‘i last year to establish a national AANHPI behavioral health center, I reported for The Yappie last year with Wendy Ying Lau.
“That is a group that needs to be even further disaggregated so we can identify high-risk populations and provide targeted public health and clinical programs for prevention,” Latha Palaniappan, a Stanford professor of cardiovascular medicine unaffiliated with the analysis, told the American Heart Association News.
— By
Katrina Pham
AAPI NATION
🔎 IN FOCUS
NEW DATA POINTS ON THE STATE OF ANTI-ASIAN HATE: 34% of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders report experiencing racism this year, per a new poll from AAPI Data and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Hate incidents ranged from verbal slurs to cyberbullying, Associated Press’ Terry Tang and Linley Sanders write.
Roughly 2 in 10 respondents say they faced verbal harassment or abuse in the past year, while 22% said they were called a racial or ethnic slur.
About 1 in 3 say they often or sometimes encounter discrimination when applying for jobs due to their race or ethnicity.
Around 1 in 10 report that they were targets of physical assaults or intimidation.
Findings from the poll, the first in a new monthly series, stand in stark contrast to recent FBI data that showed a 33% decrease in reported anti-Asian hate crimes from 2021 to 2022.
Advocates say it’s a reminder that FBI hate crimes statistics are only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to documenting hate—and that the crisis targeting AAPIs is far from over.
An analysis of poll results also showed an increased vulnerability to anxiety among AAPI communities.
Another topline to consider: 61% of potential voters in battleground states believe that politicians’ use of anti-China rhetoric played a role in the escalation of anti-Asian violence, per a recent National AAPI Power Fund survey reported by The Hill’s Cheyanne M. Daniels.
“It’s important that candidates and organizations know that anti-China rhetoric doesn’t foster any short-term or long-term gains,” said Joshua Ulibarri, partner at the political strategy firm Lake Research Partners.
CATCH UP
👉 Here’s what else is happening across America…
🗣️ Some Pacific Island nations are doubling down on concerns over Japan’s release of potentially radioactive wastewater into the ocean, a reflection of divisions within the Pacific Islands Forum. Other topics discussed at the regional summit last week include the Treaty of Rarotonga and climate change strategies, Kyodo News reports.
📉 Vietnamese American shrimpers in Texas are facing challenges due to the decline of the U.S.’s shrimp industry, which has forced them to adapt once again, New York Times’ Amy Qin writes.
Thousands of Vietnamese refugees settled along the Gulf Coast after the Vietnam War and established fishing communities while overcoming war trauma, language barriers, and prejudice from local residents.
🚨 Police in Plano, Texas have arrested five people in connection to a string of burglaries that allegedly targeted the Asian American community, NBC Asian America’s Kimmy Yam writes. Authorities say the suspects approached their homes dressed as delivery workers after ensuring the residences were empty and may have targeted Asian Americans because of their tendency to store valuables in their homes.
🎖️ Pacific Islander veterans were honored at a special dinner hosted in Sandy, Utah last week, Fox 13’s Scott McCane reports. The event was organized by marine veteran Michael Tan and his group “Behind the Lavalava,” which emphasizes unity and shared experiences across cultures.
🎭 The annual Unforgettable Gala, America’s oldest awards ceremony honoring Asian and Pacific Islander names in entertainment, will be available to audiences on cable and streaming platforms for the first time ever via ChimeTV. Journalist Lisa Ling and filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton are honorary co-chairs of this year’s event, which is slated for December.
⚾️ Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll, 23, became the first Asian American to receive the coveted MLB Rookie of the Year award in a unanimous vote by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, NBC Asian America’s Kimmy Yam writes.
📺 Among prominent 2022 films and TV shows on streaming platforms with at least one Asian cast member, only 6% showcased an Asian character in a leading role, according to a new analysis by the Norman Lear Center and Gold House.
The study revealed a pattern of “proximity to whiteness,” NBC Asian America’s Emi Tuyetnhi Tran notes. 42% of Asian characters had light skin tones, 68% of Asian characters never had a conversation with another Asian character, and more than half of Asian women characters had a white love interest.
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— By
Rachel Lee
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Preston Lieu