A new reportProduced by researchers from UC Riverside, UCLA Center for Health Policy Research Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Data Policy Lab, and UC Irvine, examined the impact of COVID-19 on the Hawaiian and indigenous Pacific communities, or NHPI, communities in California and NHPIs have experienced significant and economic challenges.
Based on a survey in 2024 with more than 900 NHPI adults using a population representation approach, the report revealed that around a third party said it needed mental health care in 2023, but many have not engaged in care due to critical obstacles such as cost problems, lack of insurance, public stigma and difficulty finding suppliers.
“We have found that despite the important burden on mental health, a limited percentage of NHPI adults had never sought mental health care,” said Andrew SubicaAssociate teacher of Social medicine, population and public health in the UCR Medical schooland a co-author of the report. “Stress during the pandemic was largely motivated by health problems, financial instability and well-being of the family and the elders. Positively, people have faced this stress through friends and family, spiritual practices, family activities and screen time. ”
On the economic level, more than a third of NHPI adults have declared that they have reduced household income since the start of the pandemic, with certain sub-groups, such as Fijiens and Marshalsse, being particularly affected. Almost 14% have lost regular jobs and more than a quarter struggled to afford essential elements such as rent, food and tuition fees. Even among those eligible, less than a third advantages accessible such as Medi-Cal or Calfresh.
Historically, NHPIs have been grouped with the largest American Asian Racial group in social and health data, masking the unique challenges that NHPIs are confronted. For example, in California, the average per capita income of NHPIs is significantly lower than that of Americans of Asian origin.
“Our report underlines the value of the disintegrated data and reveals significant differences between the NHPI sub-groups in terms of mental health results and economic challenges,” said Subica.
Subica and its co -authors have credited the success of the study to a strong community commitment.
“This is a crucial step towards an equitable distribution of resources and an development of informed policies for NHPI communities,” said Subica.
Image credit in mind: Ryan Young for UCLA magazine.