HRSA Research Links Language Use, Health Risks
Among Asian American Teens

Asian American adolescents who are less assimilated are more likely to experience mental and physical health risks, according to a new HRSA study.

The study, “Association of Language Spoken at Home with Health and School Issues Among U.S. Asian Adolescents,” by HRSA researchers Stella Yu, Mary Overpeck and Michael Kogan, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, was published in the May issue of the Journal of School Health. Using the Health Behavior in School Children survey, the study looked at the language teenagers spoke at home -- usually English or another language, or a combination of the two— and its association with risk factors that affect their health, mental health, performance in school and relationships with their parents.

Study findings include:

• Asian American adolescents who don’t speak English at home or speak a combination of languages were at greater risk than primarily English speakers for not wearing a seat belt or a bicycle helmet and feeling “not very healthy.”

• Adolescents from non-English-speaking homes were nearly twice as likely to report that their teachers expect too much of them and that they have difficulty making friends.

• Adolescents from non-English-speaking homes were three times more likely to report that their parents were not always ready to help them with schoolwork. Teenagers also reported that their parents were less likely to talk to their teachers and that they were less likely to talk to their parents about things that bother them.

According to the authors, these findings suggest that immigrant children and their families would benefit from more outreach, including early identification of needs, counseling and support services.

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