Table 1.
Sample Characteristics (N=705)
| n (%)1 | |
|---|---|
| Self-rated health | |
| Poor | 53 (7.5) |
| Fair | 410 (58.2) |
| Good | 190 (27.0) |
| Very Good | 39 (5.5) |
| Excellent | 13 (1.8) |
| Health Communication Barriers | |
| Self-rated spoken English proficiency | |
| Not at all/ poorly | 473 (67.1) |
| So-so | 205 (29.1) |
| Well/ fluent like a native English speaker | 27 (3.8) |
| Ever needed a medical interpreter | 244 (34.6) |
| Health literacy level3 | |
| Low | 256 (36.3) |
| Marginal | 244 (34.6) |
| Adequate | 205 (29.1) |
| Sociodemographics and Acculturation | |
| Female | 572 (81.1) |
| Age ≥ 65 years | 266 (37.7) |
| Married or living with partner | 520 (73.8) |
| Education in the U.S. or elsewhere: below high school graduation | 501 (71.1) |
| Employment | |
| Not employed | 268 (38.0) |
| Retired | 245 (34.8) |
| Employed | 192 (27.2) |
| Born in Mainland China | 596 (84.5) |
| Spoke Cantonese at home | 649 (92.1) |
| Years lived in the U.S.: < 10 | 213 (30.8) |
| Enabling Resources for Healthcare Access | |
| Annual household income | |
| < $20,000 | 418 (59.3) |
| ≥ $20,000 | 155 (22.0) |
| Not reported | 132 (18.7) |
| Had health insurance | 657 (93.2) |
| Had regular clinic or primary doctor | 659 (93.5) |
| Perceived Health Needs | |
| Number of self-reported chronic health conditions | |
| None | 278 (39.4) |
| 1 condition | 262 (37.2) |
| 2 or more conditions | 165 (23.4) |
| Specific chronic health conditions reported | |
| Diabetes | 109 (15.4) |
| Heart Disease or Stroke | 42 (6.0) |
| Hyperlipidemia | 249 (35.3) |
| Hypertension | 257 (36.5) |
| Access to Racial/Ethnic- or Language-Concordant Healthcare Services | |
| Primary doctor was Chinese | 523 (74.2) |
| Language usually spoken by healthcare provider3 | |
| Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, other dialects) | 570 (85.7) |
| English | 95 (14.3) |
Notes:
Percentages were computed based on non-missing responses, except for household income where 19% of the sample had missing data for this variable.
2Health literacy level classifications were based on participants’ report of how often they needed assistance to read written materials from doctor or pharmacy: low health literacy = “always” or “often” needed assistance; marginal health literacy = “sometimes” needed assistance; adequate health literacy = “rarely” or “never” needed assistance.
The percentages of the language usually spoken by healthcare provider variable were based on 665 non-missing responses. There were 40 participants who did not provide a response, which included 31 participants who had no regular clinic or primary doctor, and 9 others who had a primary doctor but did not indicate the language spoken.