ABSTRACT
In the United States, Chinese immigrants have been the fastest growing ethnic minority population over the past two decades and are the second largest immigrant group in the after Mexicans (Camarota, 2007). In 2010, the Chinese immigrant population in the United States reached 1.8 million (McCabe, 2012). Chinese immigrant women’s health issues have become an increasingly important social issue as this population grows. In the U.S. society, the Chinese are perceived as “the model minority” with higher income and educational levels than the U.S. national average. However, in the U.S. context Chinese immigrant women’s health communication might not be as effective as their Caucasian counterparts. For instance, researchers found that the loss of extended social networks and language barriers are the two primary reasons Chinese immigrants have difficulties in accessing health information (Ahmad et al., 2004). Yu, Huang, and Singh (2004) reported that many Chinese immigrant families do not benefit from needed services that may be available in their community owing to the lack of access to and understanding of the U.S. healthcare system. Thus, there is a need of research to understand Chinese immigrant women’s experiences of communication for health information.
