When it comes to the health of Americans from Asia and the Pacific islands, those words carry the sting of irony. Overall, Asian Americans have the longest life expectancy, the lowest infant mortality and the lowest death rates from heart disease and cancer compared with other Americans. Stroke is the only major illness for which Asian death rates are higher than those for whites.
Statistics misleading Still, the numbers are misleading.
People from lower-income groups and refugees who followed a traumatic route to American shores generally fare worse. Most Laotians are recent immigrants from a war-torn land. Native Hawaiians have high rates of diabetes and hypertension. Poor diets among Hawaiians and Guamanians account for much of that. Smaller groups fare worse Because disparities get swallowed up in the statistics, vulnerable Asian and Pacific Islander groups risk that their health problems will be ignored by the government and by society at large.