Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on the Health of Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander People in the United States, 2021

Andrew M Subica¹, Nia Aitaoto², Qiuxi Li³, Brittany N Morey⁴, Li-Tzy Wu⁵, Derek K Iwamoto⁶, Erick G Guerrero⁷, Howard B Moss^{1

8}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Social Medicine, Population, and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA.
² Pacific Islander Center of Primary Care Excellence, San Leandro, CA, USA.
³ Special Services for Groups, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁴ Department of Health, Society, and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
⁵ School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
⁶ Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
⁷ I-Lead Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁸ Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA.

PMID: 36113145
PMCID: PMC9482884
DOI: 10.1177/00333549221123579

Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on the Health of Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander People in the United States, 2021

Andrew M Subica et al. Public Health Rep. 2023 Jan-Feb.

. 2023 Jan-Feb;138(1):164-173.

doi: 10.1177/00333549221123579. Epub 2022 Sep 16.

Authors

Andrew M Subica¹, Nia Aitaoto², Qiuxi Li³, Brittany N Morey⁴, Li-Tzy Wu⁵, Derek K Iwamoto⁶, Erick G Guerrero⁷, Howard B Moss^{1

8}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Social Medicine, Population, and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA.
² Pacific Islander Center of Primary Care Excellence, San Leandro, CA, USA.
³ Special Services for Groups, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁴ Department of Health, Society, and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
⁵ School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
⁶ Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
⁷ I-Lead Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁸ Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA.

PMID: 36113145
PMCID: PMC9482884
DOI: 10.1177/00333549221123579

Abstract

Objectives: Minimal research has assessed COVID-19's unique impact on the Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (NH/PI) population-an Indigenous-colonized racial group with social and health disparities that increase their risk for COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. To address this gap, we explored the scope of COVID-19 outcomes, vaccination status, and health in diverse NH/PI communities.

Methods: NH/PI staff at partner organizations collected survey data from April through November 2021 from 319 community-dwelling NH/PI adults in 5 states with large NH/PI populations: Arkansas, California, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, Pearson χ² tests, independent and paired t tests, and linear and logistic regression analyses.

Results: During the COVID-19 pandemic, 30% of survey participants had contracted COVID-19, 16% had a close family member who died of the disease, and 64% reported COVID-19 vaccine uptake. Thirty percent reported fair/poor health, 21% currently smoked cigarettes, and 58% reported obesity. Survey participants reported heightened COVID-19-related psychosocial distress (mean score = 4.9 on 10-point scale), which was more likely when health outcomes (general health, sleep, obesity) were poor or a family member had died of COVID-19. Logistic regression indicated that age, experiencing COVID-19 distress, and past-year use of influenza vaccines were associated with higher odds of COVID-19 vaccine uptake (1.06, 1.18, and 7.58 times, respectively).

Conclusions: Our empirical findings highlight the acute and understudied negative impact of COVID-19 on NH/PI communities in the United States and suggest new avenues for improving NH/PI community health, vaccination, and recovery from COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19; Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander; health disparities.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

References

1. Penaia CS, Morey BN, Thomas KB, et al.. Disparities in Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander COVID-19 mortality: a community-driven data response. Am J Public Health. 2021;111(suppl 2):S49-S52. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2021.306370 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
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Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on the Health of Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander People in the United States, 2021

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Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on the Health of Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander People in the United States, 2021

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