Study Finds Disturbing STD Rates among Asian Americans

Alvin Lin - May 6, 2010

There's a disturbing research study [1] out of Boston University, on STD rates among Asian Americans. Professor Hyeouk Chris Hahm led the study, after noticing high STD rates among Asian Americans while working for ten years as a psychiatric social worker.

What she found was troubling:

Moreover, the power dynamic between genders became immediately clear. Asian American women were four times more likely to have a STD than their male counterparts. “This was shocking,” said Hahm, “It was so much higher than the males.”

Accounting for the gender disparity, Hahm suggested that again, culture may be playing a critical role. “Condom use is hard in a culture where women are raised to be accommodating and polite.” She stated, “Asian and Pacific Islander women also have broader interracial dating patterns than Asian American men. This might explain why these women are exposed to higher rates of STDs.”

Over the course the study, Hahm unmasked some myths common about Asian Americans. She said, “There’s a perception that Asian Americans in particular aren’t practicing sexually risky behaviors. But we found that Asian American young women are at risk of high STDs. For instance, Asian American women had a higher prevalence of STDs than White women in both 1995 (10.4% vs. 7.7) and 2001 (13.5% vs. 8.3%). The incidence of STDs (not diagnosed with STDs in 1995, but developed STIs in 2001) among Asian American women was also higher than that of White women." Moreover, the power dynamic between genders became immediately clear. Asian American women were four times more likely to have a STD than their male counterparts. “This was shocking,” said Hahm, “It was so much higher than the males.” Accounting for the gender disparity, Hahm suggested that...“Asian and Pacific Islander women also have broader interracial dating patterns than Asian American men. This might explain why these women are exposed to higher rates of STDs.”

I think these findings definitely go against some prior conceptions about Asian Americans and sexually transmitted diseases. The 4:1 ratio of STDs among Asian American women to men is astounding. To see what this means, I looked up some global data [2] of STD rates around the world, broken down by gender. In East Asia, and on every other continent, women have slightly higher STD rates than men, however nothing comes remotely close to the 4:1 ratio among Asian Americans.

It's unclear what the study means by "power dynamic," whether it means sexual power/demand, or power within the culture. One can speculate on a wide variety of reasons for why the STD rates are the way they are. I'll refrain from doing so, but nevertheless I thought it was noteworthy to bring up, as a point of discussion. How does this strike you?

Categories:

Gender and Sexuality [3]

Community [4]