South Asian American Community Research Articles

A mixed-methods, theory-driven assessment of the sustainability of a multi-sectoral preventive intervention for South Asian Americans at risk for cardiovascular disease

BackgroundSouth Asian Americans bear a high burden of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), but little is known about the sustainability of evidence-based interventions (EBI) to prevent ASCVD in this population. Using community-based participatory research, we previously developed and implemented the South Asian Healthy Lifestyle Intervention (SAHELI), a culturally-adapted EBI targeting diet, physical activity, and stress management. In this study, we use the Integrated Sustainability Framework to investigate multisectoral partners’ perceptions of organizational factors influencing SAHELI sustainability and strategies for ensuring sustainability.MethodsFrom 2022 to 2023, we conducted a mixed-methods study (quant- > QUAL) with 17 SAHELI partners in the Chicago area. Partners’ settings included: community organization, school district, public health department, and healthcare system. Descriptive statistics summarized quantitative results. Two coders used a hybrid thematic analysis approach to identify qualitative themes. Qualitative and quantitative data were integrated and analyzed using mixed methods.ResultsSurveys (score range 1–5: higher scores indicate facilitators; lower scores indicate barriers) indicated SAHELI sustainability facilitators to be its “responsiveness to community values and needs” (mean = 4.9). Barriers were “financial support” (mean = 3.5), “infrastructure/capacity to support sustainment” (mean = 4.2), and “implementation leadership” (mean = 4.3). Qualitative findings confirmed quantitative findings that SAHELI provided culturally-tailored cardiovascular health education responsive to the needs of the South Asian American community, increased attention to health issues, and transformed perceptions of research among community members. Qualitative findings expanded upon quantitative findings, showing that the organizational fit of SAHELI was a facilitator to sustainability while competing priorities were barriers for partners from the public health department and health system. Partners from the public health department and health system discussed challenges in offering culturally-tailored programming exclusively for one targeted population. Sustainability strategies envisioned by partners included: transitioning SAHELI to a program delivered by community members; integrating components of SAHELI into other programs; and expanding SAHELI to other populations. Modifications made to SAHELI (i.e., virtual instead of in-person delivery) had both positive and negative implications for sustainability.DiscussionThis study identifies common sustainability barriers and facilitators across different sectors, as well as those specific to certain settings. Aligning health equity interventions with community needs and values, organizational activities, and local context and resources is critical for sustainability. Challenges also arise from balancing the needs of specific populations against providing programming for broader audiences.

The Role of Hindu Mandirs in Addressing Intimate Partner Violence Among South Asian American Communities.

There is a growing body of literature that documents high rates of intimate partner violence within South Asian American communities, indicating a critical need for research that can respond directly to this issue. From a socioecological perspective, Hindu temples can influence members' behaviors at multiple levels of change and thus may be important sites of collaboration for the prevention of intimate partner violence. Through in-depth qualitative interviews with South Asian families, temple leaders, and community stakeholders, this study indicates that Hindu temples have tremendous capacity to significantly impact intimate partner violence within South Asian American communities.

South Asian Americans and anti-Black racism: critically reflexive racialization as an anti-racist vernacular discourse

AbstractIn this study, I propose the concept of critically reflexive racialization as a vernacular discourse through which nondominant groups engage critical reflexivity in exploring and renegotiating their racialized identities in relation to other marginalized groups in the struggle against White supremacy. This study is based on my analysis of the discourses of South Asian Americans within the online news magazine American Kahani over the course of a year following the murder of George Floyd. I explore how they (re-)negotiate their racialized identities vis-à-vis Black Americans and in relation to anti-Black racism, critically reflecting on historical, discursive, and structural contexts around Whiteness, caste, and colorism. This study provides a lens into (anti-)racism among the South Asian American community, demonstrating a need for continued research into conversations around race within it and other communities of color.

Help seeking and mental health outcomes among South Asian young adult survivors of sexual violence in the New York State Region.

BackgroundSexual violence is a growing issue faced across diverse South Asian American communities under the backdrop of a distinct religious and cultural environment that intersects with the ability to prevent and manage this public health crisis. There is also growing attention on sexual violence experienced by younger or second-generation South Asian Americans, although little is known on the prevalence of this violence and its impact on health outcomes. Using data from a community-driven sexual violence survey, this study describes the experience of sexual violence and related help seeking behaviors and mental health outcomes among 18–34-year-old South Asian Americans living near the New York (NY) State region.MethodsParticipants were recruited via social media to participate in an anonymous survey developed in partnership with an advisory board of South Asian young adult representatives. Data was analyzed descriptively and through adjusted logistic regression models.ResultsOverall, responses from 335 sexual assault survivors were analyzed. Types of assault experienced included no-contact (97.6%), contact (75.2%), rape attempts (50.2%), rape (44.6%), and multiple rape (19.6%). Many reported perpetrators were South Asian (65.1%) or family members (25.1%). Only 27.6% indicated they had reported assaults to authorities or received services. In adjusted analyses, odds of help seeking were higher among participants who were older (AOR:1.10, 95%CI:1.02–1.20), were a sexual minority (lesbian, gay, bisexual) (1.98, 1.05–3.71), had a family member as the perpetrator (1.85, 1.01–3.40), had lower disclosure stigma (1.66, 1.16–2.44), and experienced depression (2.16, 1.10–4.47). Odds of depression were higher among sexual minority participants and lower among those with higher sexual assault disclosure stigma (3.27, 1.61–7.16; 0.68, 0.50–0.93).ConclusionsFindings call for greater targeted policy interventions to address the prevention of sexual violence among young South Asian Americans and greater focus on improving help seeking behaviors and improving mental health outcomes among survivors.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-13489-y.

Sexual violence among LGB+ South Asian Americans: Findings from a community survey.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and other sexual minority (LGB+) South Asian Americans represent a disproportionately underserved and often invisible community in the United States. While issues of sexual violence have been documented in the South Asian American community, little is known on its impact among LGB+ individuals. This study explores the experience of sexual violence, related attitudes, and mental health outcomes among LGB+ South Asian Americans. A community-informed online survey of 18–34-year-old South Asian Americans living near the New York State region, recruited from online social media platforms, was conducted. Study design, implementation, and evaluation occurred in partnership with an advisory board of South Asian young adult representatives; data was analyzed both descriptively and through multivariable logistic regression models. Of the 385 participants who reported their sexuality, LGB+ participants comprised 24.1% (n = 93) of the sample. LGB+ participants were more likely to have experienced rape multiple times (17.2% vs. 9.6%) in bivariate analyses, and higher odds of depression (AOR:3.47, 95%CI:1.61–8.17) in adjusted analyses. Overall, LGB+ South Asian Americans displayed a disproportionate burden of sexual violence and depression. Findings identify policy and research pathways to address sexual violence among LGB+ South Asians.

Neighborhood social cohesion and disease prevention in Asian immigrant populations

In the United States (US), chronic disease risk factors are highly prevalent among Asian immigrant communities, who also exhibit low health screening rates. Perceived neighborhood social cohesion (NSC) has been associated with preventive healthcare use in the general US population, although it remains unexplored among Asian Americans (AAs). The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between NSC and preventive screening for hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, and depression among East, South and Southeast Asian American (EAA, SAA, SEAA) communities in New York City (NYC) using cross-sectional, locally collected data from 2013 to 2016. NSC was assessed using a 4-question scale to create an additive score between 4 and 16 and was analyzed both as a continuous and categorial variable (High, Medium, and Low tertiles). Recent screening was defined as a check-up within the last year for each of the included health conditions. A one-unit increase in NSC score was associated with increased odds of recent screening for high cholesterol in EAAs (AOR = 1.09, 95%CI:1.00–1.20); for high cholesterol, diabetes, and depression in SAAs (AOR = 1.08, 95%CI:1.00–1.20; AOR = 1.07, 95%CI:1.00–1.15; AOR = 1.15, 95%CI:1.06–1.25); and with high cholesterol among SEAAs (AOR = 1.12, 95%CI:1.00–1.25). Overall, NSC was an important facilitator for preventive screening behaviors for specific conditions in different groups, though was consistently associated with screening for high cholesterol in our sample. Enhancing NSC through family and community-based programming may be one strategy to encourage screening for preventive behaviors, though more research is needed to elucidate a precise mechanism.

Tamara Bhalla’s Reading Together, Reading Apart: Identity, Belonging, and South Asian American Community

Tamara Bhalla’s Reading Together, Reading Apart: Identity, Belonging, and South Asian American Community

Tamara Bhalla’s Reading Together, Reading Apart: Identity, Belonging, and South Asian American Community

Tamara Bhalla’s Reading Together, Reading Apart: Identity, Belonging, and South Asian American Community

Reading Together, Reading Apart: Identity, Belonging, and South Asian American Community by Tamara Bhalla

Reading Together, Reading Apart: Identity, Belonging, and South Asian American Community by Tamara Bhalla

Desis Divided: The Political Lives of South Asian Americans by Sangay K. Mishra

Reviewed by: Desis Divided: The Political Lives of South Asian Americans by Sangay K. Mishra Nalini Iyer DESIS DIVIDED: The Political Lives of South Asian Americans. By Sangay K. Mishra. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. 2016. Sangay Mishra's book breaks new ground in South Asian American studies because he moves beyond the work of earlier scholars such as Vijay Mishra, Kamala Visweswaran, Monisha Das Gupta who had critiqued the model minority discourse used to frame the experiences of South Asian Americans. Mishra builds on this earlier work but provides a systematic analysis of the divergences and schisms within the ethnic group to study how this immigrant community has mobilized politically in recent years and in particular post 9/11. Based on interviews with South Asians in New York city and Los Angeles as well as analysis of national data from the 2000–2001 Pilot Study of the National Asian American Political Survey and the 2008 National Asian American Survey, Mishra looks at the patterns of political participation amongst South Asians both within the US and transnationally. The book begins with a socio-political history of South Asians in the U.S. which is familiar territory for those working in the field but necessary to introduce the book's overall project. He continues with an analysis of theories of ethno-racial mobilization and their relevance to the study of South Asian Americans. He then proceeds to explore post 9/11 racial targeting of South Asians and how that shapes political mobilization. The book continues with an examination of dominant modes of political mobilization amongst South Asians and concludes with two chapters that examine the community's transnational political engagement and how diasporic nationalism influences the members' engagement with U.S. politics. This study is timely and conceptualized well. As an economically powerful and rapidly growing community, South Asian Americans are increasingly active in politics at the local, regional, and national levels. However, Mishra's major intervention is that the South Asian American community is not a monolith and that national origin, religion, caste, and class are important factors that complicate how we understand the community. This approach of considering vectors of identity within the group is necessary in the evolution of South Asian American studies and has a significant methodological impact on the field. There are a couple of aspects of this study that could have been nuanced. The first is the question of gender. Although Mishra does devote about a dozen pages to social justice politics in chapter four and addresses how organizations like Sakhi and Manavi among [End Page 117] others that did ground breaking work on domestic violence prevention and advocacy and provided an avenue for political mobilization, the issues of gender, sexuality, and working class issues are lumped into this section and the analysis feels perfunctory. Is gender not a major factor if turbaned Sikh men and hijabi women were targets of racial violence post 9/11? It is not clear what percentage of respondents to the interviews were women? The discussion of South Asian racialization needs to be an intersectional one that accounts for gender and sexuality in the formation of race. The second issue is that of national origins. Mishra admits in his introduction that despite his best attempts, the study is dominated by Indian American issues. He justifies this because Indian Americans are numerically the largest amongst South Asians and also because South Asian American studies as a field has not produced enough scholarship on Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and other smaller South Asian communities. Both these reasons are real and important, but this Indo-centrism skews the argument. In particular, much of the chapter on diasporic nationalism is Indo-centric. Had Mishra engaged in a discussion of a smaller South Asian community such as the Sri Lankan American community and their diasporic nationalism, a more nuanced picture would have emerged. Sri Lankan Tamils who escaped a decades-long civil war have had an active and different form of diasporic nationalism during and after the civil war. Does the different post-independence political history of India and Sri Lanka impact diasporic nationalism differently? These critiques of the question of gender and Indo-centrism do not...

Reading Together, Reading Apart: Identity, Belonging, and South Asian American Community

Reading Together, Reading Apart: Identity, Belonging, and South Asian American Community

Editors' Introduction

Editors' Introduction

American Orientalism

One group of South Asians had become objects of fear and derision and targets of immigration enforcement and extra-legal violence. Another group of South Asians was being heralded for their social, economic, and cultural contributions to the United States. The aftermath of 9/11 had brought into relief a deep set of divisions within the South Asian American community. In some ways, these years called into question the very utility of “South Asian” as an identity marking the common experiences of Americans with roots in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.These were nations that shared colonial histories as different parts of British India and Ceylon, but they were now divided by military, religious, and ethnic conflicts on the subcontinent, and their diasporic communities had significantly different levels of power, income, and influence in the United States

MEMORY, INVISIBILITY, AND THE OAK CREEK GURDWARA MASSACRE

The racist terrorism experienced by Sikh, Muslim, Arab, and South Asian American communities after 9/11 has never abated, although it has disappeared from the nation's contemporary discourse and its memory of that traumatic time. The intensely stressful and personal violence still plaguing the Sikh American community makes farcical any discussion of a ‘post-racial’ society. The erasure of its experience during and since 9/11 is well illustrated and symbolized by the disappearance of Balbir Singh Sodhi from our national memory of the time. The national hate crime epidemic has been fed and sustained by white Christian Americans who demonize racialized non-Christians, sometimes in racialized terms. The hate crime wave against Sikh Americans has been largely ignored by the media since 9/11, preventing wider understanding of the ongoing problem, and ensuring Sikh Americans were still largely unknown to their fellow Americans when the Oak Creek massacre occurred. What images the media did offer of turbaned, bearded men after 9/11 exacerbated the situation, exemplifying the prototypical images of a terrorist already deeply embedded in the national psyche, as seen in the mistreatment of Sher Singh. The politics of racial division must end, and we must drive those who divide us from the public realm with demands for patriotic integrity.

Playing through differences: black–white racial logic and interrogating South Asian American identity

This article examines how South Asian American communities ascribe meaning to the category of ‘race’ while adding their own sensibilities to racial categories of ‘black’ and ‘white’. Drawing upon ethnographic methods, I analyse leisure spaces of basketball to demonstrate how racial formation in the US for non-white ethnic American subjects engages the black–white racial binary while simultaneously critiquing this racial logic. Racial categories provide a lexicon for comprehending South Asian American difference, while South Asian idioms perpetuate racializing discourses.

Addressing the health needs of south Asians: The community perspective

Community based organizations play a vital role in the health of communities in the United States, particularly among immigrant and minority populations. Yet the gap between the needs of the community and the health issues that are being addressed remains quite large. This qualitative assessment provides a brief summary of community-based organizations in the US that focus on health issues specifically addressing the needs of South Asian Americans. In addition, this assessment explores the health needs of the South Asian American community living in the Washington DC metropolitan region, the fifth largest densely populated city in the US of South Asian Americans. While the report provides an array of organizations serving this population, the question of how effective can community-based organizations be if they can not prioritize their needs based on the community’s needs still remains.

“Liting it up”: Popular Culture, Indo-Pak Basketball, and South Asian American Institutions

South Asian American participants of a co-ethnic basketball league, known as Indo-Pak Basketball, utilized urban basketball vernacular through the phrase “liting it up” to identify individuals scoring points in great numbers. The person “liting it up” becomes visible and receives recognition. Accordingly, I want to “lite up” the scholarship on South Asian America whereby situating South Asian American religious sites and cultural centers as key arenas for “Americanization” through US popular culture. I situate sport as a key element of popular culture through which South Asian American communities work out, struggle through, and contest notions of self. Informed by an Anthropology of Sport, ethnography of South Asian American communities in Atlanta takes place alongside an examination of the North American Indo-Pak Basketball circuit. Accordingly, my findings indicate that such community formation has also taken shape at the intersections of institutions, gender, and sexuality whereby excluding queers, women, and other communities of color.

Coming to America: Betel Nut and Oral Submucous Fibrosis

Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is an insidious precancerous disease affecting the oral cavity, pharynx and upper digestive tract. Its etiology is linked directly to betel nut use, which is common to the Indian subcontinent. With the increase in immigration of people from the Indian subcontinent to the United States, many American dental professionals will encounter this disease in the near future. The author provides a general overview of OSF. The author provides a literature review of OSF, including its epidemiology, etiology, clinical presentation, histopathology and treatment modalities. OSF is a precancerous oral disease linked definitively to the use of betel nut. It is endemic to people in the Indian subcontinent. Patients' primary complaint is progressive trismus. Treatment is based on disease severity. OSF is a debilitating but preventable oral disease. Its incidence in the United States will increase as the South Asian immigrant population expands. Consequently, American dental professionals may encounter patients with this disease, and it is important that they are aware of it. In addition, for dental care professionals practicing in a South Asian American community, public health education is important to inform the population about the deleterious oral health effects of betel nut consumption.

To Arrange or Not: Marriage Trends in the South Asian American Community

The idea of the arranged marriage has always seemed “exotic” yet has fascinated the American public. Recent media coverage of arranged marriages is evident in popular periodicals such as the New York Times Online (August 17, 2000) and Newsweek (March 15, 1999). Foner highlights that the arranged marriage is an example of “the continued impact of premigration cultural beliefs and social practices” that South Asian immigrants have transported to the United States (Foner 1997, 964). She offers an interpretive synthesis by showing that “[n]ew immigrant family patterns are shaped by cultural meanings and social practices that immigrants bring with them from their home countries as well as by social, economic, and cultural forces in the United States” (Foner 2005, 157).

Metaconsumptive Practices and the Circulation of Objectifications

This article analyzes an intersection of materiality and language use. I argue that verbal practices, generally overlooked in material culture studies, are an integral dimension of consumption. Types of talk - both referential and indexical - can illustrate how people mediate relationships with objects, as well as with each other. Drawing on ethnographic research in Silicon Valley, California (1999-2001), I present examples from middle-class South Asian American communities. In these closely-knit social contexts, I examine how people discursively create objectifications through talk and consumption of visual media such as video and photographs. My examination of these language practices reveals that people not only form relationships with objects they own, but also with objectifications - verbal and visual representations - of objects they borrow, rent, or imagine. Social theorists have remarked on how people can use contests of status and display associated with consumption to ascend into higher social classes. I consider how youth and adults engage in language use and consumption to instead display identity and status within their own community.