Consumer Health Web Sites in Asian and Pacific Islander Languages

Abstract

Finding reliable, up-to-date consumer health information written in Asian or Pacific Islander languages can be difficult for librarians, to say nothing of the difficulties experienced by speakers of these languages when they seek health information. A number of high-quality, reliable sources that provide consumer health information are available on the Internet at no cost. This article reviews several of these Asian language health sites that were selected based on their ease of use and the quality of health information provided. While there are many web sources that provide handouts and other materials for the Asian language speaker, nearly all require some knowledge of English to navigate to the needed content. Thus, the Asian language speaker with low English literacy will need the aid of a librarian, health care professional, or family member to make the best use of these materials.