Addressing the Health Issue

Popular Asian drinks like boba milk teas, coffee blends, and flavored juices are high in added sugar. These beverages are overlooked main contributors of added sugar in API diets.

Asian Americans are more likely than Caucasians to have diabetes. 1 in 3 Asian Americans with diabetes don’t even know they have it. Chronic disease and health disparities are rapidly growing challenges facing API communities. These health issues need more attention in order to provide the right resources for Asian Americans.

Chronic illnesses are at epidemic levels. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, almost 90% of adults with diabetes are also overweight or obese. Stereotypes of API communities like the Model Minority Myth (MMM) have caused Asian Americans to be long overlooked in health conversations and resources that help communities fight the obesity epidemic in our country. The model minority describes the extraordinary ability of Asian Americans to overcome hardship to succeed in American society. Particularly increased visibility of Asian Americans as a racial/ethnic minority group experiencing chronic disease and health disparities and deserving of increased accessibility to health-related resources. In the end, Asian Americans may be left out of health conversations, policies, and planning designed to address the obesity epidemic when they are an at-risk subgroup.