Resources for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders
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Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) have higher 
rates of diabetes than non-Hispanic white Americans. Diabetes is the 5th leading cause of death for these populations. Statistics from 2010-2012 show that 16.5 percent of Asian American adults had diabetes, compared to 9.5 percent of non-Hispanic whites.
- Diabetes rates among Asian Americans vary widely. Filipino or South Asian Americans are more likely to have diabetes than other Asian Americans.
- Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are 2.4 times more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than non-Hispanic whites.
- Nationwide, as many as 1 in 4 people who have diabetes don’t know they have it. But for Asian Americans, that number is much higher – almost 1 in 2. Why aren’t more getting diagnosed? It may be because Asian Americans are at higher risk for type 2 diabetes at a lower weight than others (as measured by body mass index), and overweight is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Because of this, it is recommended that Asian Americans be screened for diabetes if they have a BMI of 23 or higher, instead of 25 or higher recommended for other groups.
NDEP has designed diabetes prevention and management resources specifically for AANHPI communities. These resources can be used by community health workers, diabetes educators, and health care providers to meet the needs of these groups.
Diabetes Prevention
Two Reasons I Find Time to Prevent Diabetes: My Future and Theirs Tip Sheet
People at risk for diabetes can follow these steps for preventing diabetes.
Available for download in the following languages:
English, Cambodian, Chamorro, Chinese, Chuukese, Gujarati, Hindi, Hmong, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Samoan, Tagalog, Thai, Tongan, Vietnamese
Grade-A Grocery Lists: Tips to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
Encourage AANHPI people make healthier food choices while grocery shopping by using these grocery lists.
Pacific Islanders [PDF-106KB] | Asian Americans [PDF-108KB]
Professional Development
Diabetes Management
4 Steps to Manage Your Diabetes for Life
Help people with diabetes understand, monitor, and manage their diabetes to help them stay healthy. This publication is especially useful for people newly diagnosed with diabetes and is available in a wide variety of languages including:
Bengali [PDF – 1M], Chinese [PDF – 1M], Gujarati [PDF – 1M], Hindi [PDF – 1M], Korean [PDF – 1M], Tagalog [PDF – 1M], Urdu [PDF – 2M], Vietnamese [PDF – 1M], and an English/Multi-Language Compliant [PDF – 1M] version
Taking Care of Your Diabetes Means Taking Care of Your Heart Tip Sheet
Encourage patients with diabetes to work with their health care team to set goals to manage A1C, blood pressure, and cholesterol to prevent heart problems. The tip sheet also has a form for tracking A1C, blood pressure, and cholesterol numbers.
Available for download in the following languages:
English, Cambodian, Chamorro, Chinese, Chuukese, Gujarati, Hindi, Hmong, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Samoan, Tagalog, Thai, Tongan, Vietnamese
Choosing Healthy Foods at Holidays and Special Occasions
These English language tip sheets provide ideas for making healthy choices at celebrations and holidays. Available for download for the following groups:
Chinese Americans [PDF – 170K]
Filipino Americans [PDF – 161K]
Korean Americans [PDF – 170K]
South Asian Americans [PDF – 183K]
Southeast Asian Americans [PDF – 174K]
Toolkits
Capacity Building for Diabetes Outreach: A Comprehensive Toolkit for Organizations Serving Asian and Pacific Islander Communities [PDF-18.1MB]
Strengthen your organization’s capacity by building skills in eight core areas including community assessment, evaluation, and building partnerships. The worksheets and tools can work in any community.
Promotional Materials
Managing Diabetes: Sorcy’s Story
This video (with transcript and subtitles) features Sorcy, a Filipina American, telling her story about managing her diabetes. Also learn how she’s trying to help her daughters prevent diabetes themselves. Use the print advertisement to promote this resource.
- Page last reviewed: May 10, 2017
- Page last updated: May 10, 2017
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