Immigrant Status, Resilience, and Perceived Oral Health Among Chinese Americans in Hawaii.

Abstract

This study aims to examine the associations among immigrant status, resilience, and perceived oral health for Chinese American older adults in Hawaii. Data derived from 430 Chinese American adults aged 55 years and older residing in Honolulu, HI. We compared the self-rated oral health and oral health problems between U.S.-born Chinese Americans and foreign-born Chinese Americans by using ordered logistic regression and ordinary least squares regression models. Findings suggest that immigrant status and lower levels of resilience are associated with poorer self-rated oral health and more oral health problems for Chinese American older adults in Hawaii. Resilience is more strongly associated with self-rated oral health for U.S.-born Chinese American than for foreign-born Chinese Americans, but this pattern was not evident for oral health problems. Older Chinese American immigrants in Hawaii are disadvantaged in terms of their oral health. Understanding their susceptibilities may lead to targeted interventions.