Data Equity for Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander People in Reproductive Health Research

Obstet Gynecol. 2023 Sep 7. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000005340. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTThough racial and ethnic disparities in sexual and reproductive health outcomes are receiving greater interest and research funding, the experiences of Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (NHPI) people are often combined with those of other racial and ethnic minority groups or excluded from data collection altogether. Such treatment is often rationalized because Asian American and NHPI groups comprise a smaller demographic proportion than other racial or ethnic groups, and the model minority stereotype assumes that these groups have minimal sexual and reproductive health needs. However, Asian American and NHPI people represent the fastest-growing racial-ethnic groups in the United States, and they face disparities in sexual and reproductive health access, quality of care, and outcomes compared with those of other races and ethnicities. Disaggregating further by ethnicity, people from certain Asian American and NHPI subgroups face disproportionately poor reproductive health outcomes that suggest the need for culturally targeted exploration of the unique drivers of these inequities. This commentary highlights the evidence for sexual and reproductive health disparities both in and between Asian American and NHPI groups. We also examine the failures of national data sets and clinical studies to recruit Asian American and NHPI people in proportion to their share o...

Source: Obstetrics and Gynecology - September 7, 2023 Category: OBGYN Authors: Katrina J Heyrana Bliss Kaneshiro Reni Soon Brian T Nguyen Melissa F Natavio Source Type: research