Asian American Women’s Body Image Experiences

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 479-496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Brady ◽  
Aylin Kaya ◽  
Derek Iwamoto ◽  
Athena Park ◽  
Lauren Fox ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Body Dissatisfaction ◽  
Asian American ◽  
Identity Management ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Body ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Asian American Women ◽  
American Women ◽  
Women's Body Image

The purpose of our study was to explore Asian American women’s body image experiences from an intersectional framework. Utilizing grounded theory methodology, we sought to understand how gender and race intersect with unique experiences of oppression to contribute to body dissatisfaction among Asian American women. Twenty Asian American undergraduate women born in the United States participated in semi-structured interviews. The core category “body image” was composed of attitudes and perceptions about body weight, shape, and size; facial features (e.g., eye size); and skin complexion or tone. Five categories emerged that informed the body image experiences of Asian American women: (1) navigating cultural beauty norms, (2) experiences of sexism and racism, (3) parental influences, (4) peer influences, and (5) identity management processes. Each of these categories appeared to have both positive and negative consequences for appearance evaluation, ranging from self-consciousness to confidence. Participants also described coping strategies for managing these experiences. We encourage psychologists and clinicians to consider culture-specific beauty standards for Asian American women as well as salient racial and cultural factors (e.g., perceived discrimination and biculturative stress) that may influence body image beliefs. Our results offer a new model for understanding Asian American women’s body dissatisfaction as rooted in experiences of racism and sexism. Online slides for instructors who want to use this article for teaching are available on PWQ' s website at http://journals.sagepub.com/page/pwq/suppl/index

Exploring the conceptualization of body image for Asian American women.

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 296-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie N. Wong ◽  
Brian TaeHyuk Keum ◽  
Daniel Caffarel ◽  
Ranjana Srinivasan ◽  
Negar Morshedian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Asian American ◽  
Asian American Women ◽  
American Women

Breast Cancer Screening Practices among Low-Income Vietnamese Women

2002 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny K. Yi ◽  
Cielito C. Reyes-Gibby
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
United States ◽  
Cancer Screening ◽  
Breast Cancer Screening ◽  
Asian American ◽  
Low Income ◽  
The United States ◽  
Asian American Women ◽  
American Women ◽  
Vietnamese Women

Cancer is the leading cause of death among Asian-American women in the United States and breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Asian-American women. Early detection through breast cancer screening has been found to improve the rate of survival for breast cancer. This study examined factors associated with breast cancer screening among 345 Vietnamese women ≥40 years old residing in a low-income Houston area. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire assessing socio-demographic characteristics, access to care factors, acculturation, and perceived susceptibility and severity of risks. Results showed 38 percent, 49 percent, and 33 percent of the respondents reporting having had a breast self-exam, a clinical breast exam, and a mammogram, respectively. Predictors of breast cancer screening include education, employment, ability to speak English, having lived in the United States for more than five years, and having a regular place of care. Implications of this study include the need for a culturally-relevant educational program for this understudied population.

Asian and Asian American Women in the United States before World War II

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shirley Hune
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Asian American ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Asian Women ◽  
Asian American Women ◽  
American Women ◽  
And Gender

Asian women, the immigrant generation, entered Hawai’i, when it was a kingdom and subsequently a US territory, and the Western US continent, from the 1840s to the 1930s as part of a global movement of people escaping imperial wars, colonialism, and homeland disorder. Most were wives or picture brides from China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, and South Asia, joining menfolk who worked overseas to escape poverty and strife. Women also arrived independently; some on the East Coast. US immigration laws restricting the entry of Asian male laborers also limited Asian women. Asian women were critical for establishing Asian American families and ensuring such households’ survival and social mobility. They worked on plantations, in agricultural fields and canneries, as domestics and seamstresses, and helped operate family businesses, while doing housework, raising children, and navigating cultural differences. Their activities gave women more power in their families than by tradition and shifted gender roles toward more egalitarian households. Women’s organizations, and women’s leadership, ideas, and skills contributed to ethnic community formation. Second generation (US-born) Asian American women grew up in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and negotiated generational as well as cultural differences. Some were mixed race, namely, biracial or multiracial. Denied participation in many aspects of American youth culture, they formed ethnic-based clubs and organizations and held social activities that mirrored mainstream society. Some attended college. A few broke new ground professionally. Asian and Asian American women were diverse in national origin, class, and location. Both generations faced race and gender boundaries in education, employment, and public spaces, and they were active in civic affairs to improve their lives and their communities’ well-being. Across America, they marched, made speeches, and raised funds to free their homelands from foreign occupation and fought for racial and gender equality in the courts, workplaces, and elsewhere.

scholarly journals Ethnic enclaves, discrimination, and stress among Asian American women: Differences by nativity and time in the United States.

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 460-471
Author(s):  
Brittany N. Morey ◽  
Gilbert C. Gee ◽  
Salma Shariff-Marco ◽  
Juan Yang ◽  
Laura Allen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Asian American ◽  
The United States ◽  
Ethnic Enclaves ◽  
Asian American Women ◽  
American Women

Development of the Thai Breast Cancer Belief Scale for Thai Immigrants in the United States

2012 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suwattana Kumsuk ◽  
Louise H. Flick ◽  
Joanne K. Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Asian American ◽  
Breast Cancer Mortality ◽  
Health Belief ◽  
The United States ◽  
Face Validity ◽  
Asian American Women ◽  
American Women ◽  
Belief Scale ◽  
Belief Model

Asian American women have not benefited from the decline in breast cancer mortality and have lower rates of mammography use. Understanding mammography behaviors among these Asian American women requires culturally specific measures. Champion’s Belief Scale was translated into Thai and cultural items were added. The Thai Breast Cancer Belief Scale (TBCBS), the Suinn-Lew Self-Identification Acculturation, and the Asian Values Scale-Revised were administered to 250 Thai immigrants. The TBCBS was tested for face validity, construct validity, and internal consistency. Factor analysis reflected the 4 constructs of the Health Belief Model and accounted for 45.8% of the variance. Cronbach’s alpha ranged from .77 to .90. Modest correlations were observed between TBCBS subscales and acculturation scales. Results indicate that the TBCBS measures breast cancer beliefs among Thai immigrant population.

scholarly journals Essential Engagement as the First Step in Gaining Entrée into the Laotian American Community on Cervical Cancer Screening

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 173-176
Author(s):  
Catherine Pravisay-Malmstadt ◽  
Connie K. Y. Nguyen-Truong
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Cancer ◽  
Native American ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Asian American ◽  
Alaska Native ◽  
The United States ◽  
Asian American Women ◽  
Cancer Society ◽  
American Women ◽  
Portland Metropolitan Area

Asian American women, including Laotian American women (LAW), have the lowest rate of being up to date with cervical cancer (CC) screenings at 75% compared to other ethnic groups (85% White, 86% Black, 79% Hispanic, 79% American Indian/Alaska Native; American Cancer Society, 2019; Nghiem, Davies, Chan, Mulla, & Cantor, 2016). This rate is substantially lower than the national objective of 93% (Healthy People.gov, 2020). CC is highly treatable if caught early in the localized stage with a 91.8% 5-year survival rate (National Cancer Institute, n.d.). There is scant research on the incidence and factors surrounding CC screening in Laotian Americans and has primarily been representative of California. The Portland metropolitan area in the United States’ (U.S.) Pacific Northwest has one of the top ten highest Laotian American populations (Greblo, 2011). The Laotian American cultural community leaders (CCLs) in the Pacific Northwest expressed to our academic project team at Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine and the College of Nursing that the Laotian American community is a private ethnic group wary of those from the outside and particularly researchers.

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