Grand Canyon University
Family Centered Health Promotion NRS 429v
February 17, 2012
Heritage Health Assessment
As health care improves in the United States and across the world, people are living longer. In 1970, it was estimated there were 307 million people in the world over the age of 60. There were 500 million in 2000 an in 2020 it is estimated there will be one billion (Bee, 2000). Worldwide, the number of people in this age bracket is growing faster than any other age group (World Health Organization [WHO], 2002).
Not only are the numbers of older adults ever increasing, but the composition of this sector of the population is also changing. Immigration is one aspect affecting the makeup of the elderly in the United States. In addition, immigration to the United States continues to increase each year. The Administration on aging (2005) reports that minority groups are predictable to increase from 5.7 million in 200(16.4% of the elderly population), to 8.1 million in 2010(20.1% of the elderly), and then to 12.9 million in 2030 (23.6% of the elderly). As the first-generation immigrants begin to age, their need for health services will begin to increase. For this reason, it becomes essential to gain understanding of how these groups interact and utilize health services in the United States.
The wide category of immigrants comprises about 32 different national and ethnic groups (Austin & Prendergast, 1994). The distribution of Asians in the United States is: Chinese (23.8%); Filipino (18.3%); Asian Indian (16.25); Vietnamese (10.9%); Korean (10.5%); Japanese (7.8%); Cambodian (1.8%); Hmong (1.7%); Lao (1.6%); Pakistani (1.5%); Thai (1.1%); and other (4.7%) (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2000). Since the majority of these immigrants are foreign born, strong cultural values, beliefs, and traditional health practices are still apparent in their behaviors. These are reflected in...