Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on the Health of Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander People in the United States, 2021

Nā Kānaka Maoli ma nā 'Āina 'Ē: Exploring Place of Residency as a Native Hawaiian Health Predictor During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Little is known about the impacts of living in diaspora from the Hawaiian Islands on Native Hawaiian health. To address this, the authors conducted an exploratory analysis using cross-sectional data from the 2021 Native American COVID-19 Alliance Needs Assessment. A total of 1418 participants identified as Native Hawaiian (alone or in any combination), of which 1222 reported residency in the continental US and 196 in Hawai'i. Residency status in the continental US vs Hawai'i was evaluated as a predictor of survey outcomes using likelihood ratio tests on linear and logistic regression models for linear and binary outcomes, respectively. Results showed that NH residency in the continental US was significantly associated with increased odds of reporting fair or poor self-rated health; increased odds for screening positive for anxiety, depression, and suicidality; and increased odds of health insurance loss (P's < .05). Residency in the continent was also associated with lower odds of reporting a diagnosed chronic health condition (P < .05). Residency in the continental US had no observed effect on the odds that participants engaged cultural activities or cultural coping strategies. These results support the role of place of residency as an important Native Hawaiian health predictor during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trauma and mental health in Pacific Islanders

BACKGROUND

Little is known about trauma and its mental health impact on Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders (NH/PI), an understudied Indigenous-colonized population that endures severe mental health disparities.

AIMS

This novel investigation assessed trauma prevalence and its mental health and substance use correlates in NH/PIs in the U.S.

METHOD

Using community-based participatory research methods, survey data on NH/PI trauma, depression, anxiety, substance use, and treatment need were collected from 306 NH/PI adults using online, telephone, and in-person methods. Descriptive statistics and adjusted regression models were employed.

RESULTS

Sixty-nine percent of participants experienced lifetime trauma, reporting mean exposure to 2.5 different trauma types. Childhood physical and sexual abuse, and lifetime forced sexual assault rates were 34%, 25%, and 27%, respectively, exceeding general population rates. Women and men reported equivalent total mean exposure to different trauma types, as well as equal prevalence for every trauma type examined (e.g. sexual abuse/assault). Confirming hypotheses, after controlling for key demographic and mental health risk factors, increased exposure to multiple trauma types uniquely associated with greater depression, anxiety, alcohol symptomology, and greater likelihood for needing treatment and using illicit substances.

CONCLUSIONS

Trauma is prevalent in NH/PI populations and significantly impacts NH/PI mental health; serving as an important but overlooked contributor to NH/PI mental health disparities. Current findings fill critical gaps in our knowledge of NH/PI trauma and mental health while revealing the importance of screening and treating NH/PIs for trauma exposure to alleviate existing mental health disparities.

Increased COVID-19 mortality among immigrants compared with US-born individuals: a cross-sectional analysis of 2020 mortality data

OBJECTIVE

Multiple studies have shown that racially minoritized groups had disproportionate COVID-19 mortality relative to non-Hispanic White individuals. However, there is little known regarding mortality by immigrant status nationally in the United States, despite being another vulnerable population.

STUDY DESIGN

This was an observational cross-sectional study using mortality vital statistics system data to calculate proportionate mortality ratios (PMRs) and mortality rates due to COVID-19 as the underlying cause.

METHODS

Rates were compared by decedents' identified race, ethnicity (Hispanic vs non-Hispanic), and immigrant (immigrants vs US born) status. Asian race was further disaggregated into "Asian Indian," "Chinese," "Filipino," "Japanese," "Korean," and "Vietnamese."

RESULTS

Of the over 3.4 million people who died in 2020, 10.4% of all deaths were attributed to COVID-19 as the underlying cause (n = 351,530). More than double (18.9%, n = 81,815) the percentage of immigrants who died of COVID-19 compared with US-born decedents (9.1%, n = 269,715). PMRs due to COVID-19 were higher among immigrants compared with US-born individuals for non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, and most disaggregated Asian groups. Among disaggregated Asian immigrants, age- and sex-adjusted PMR due to COVID-19 ranged from 1.58 times greater mortality among Filipino immigrants (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.53, 1.64) to 0.77 times greater mortality among Japanese immigrants (95% CI: 0.68, 0.86). Age-adjusted mortality rates were also higher among immigrant individuals compared with US-born people.

CONCLUSIONS

Immigrant individuals experienced greater mortality due to COVID-19 compared with their US-born counterparts. As COVID-19 becomes more endemic, greater clinical and public health efforts are needed to reduce disparities in mortality among immigrants compared with their US-born counterparts.

COVID-19 Hospitalization in Hawai'i and Patterns of Insurance Coverage, Race and Ethnicity, and Vaccination

Importance

The people of Hawai'i have both high rates of health insurance and high levels of racial and ethnic diversity, but the degree to which insurance status and race and ethnicity contribute to health outcomes in COVID-19 remains unknown.

Objective

To evaluate the associations of insurance coverage, race and ethnicity (using disaggregated race and ethnicity data), and vaccination with outcomes for COVID-19 hospitalization.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This retrospective cohort study included hospitalized patients at a tertiary care medical center between March 2020 and March 2022. All patients hospitalized for acute COVID-19, identified based on diagnosis code or positive results on polymerase chain reaction-based assay for SARS-CoV-2, were included in analysis. Data were analyzed from May 2022 to May 2023.

Exposure

COVID-19 requiring hospitalization.

Main Outcome and Measures

Electronic medical record data were collected for all patients. Associations among race and ethnicity, insurance coverage, receipt of at least 1 COVID-19 vaccine, intensive care unit (ICU) transfer, in-hospital mortality, and COVID-19 variant wave (pre-Delta vs Delta and Omicron) were assessed using adjusted multivariable logistic regression.

Results

A total of 1176 patients (median [IQR] age of 58 [41-71] years; 630 [54%] male) were hospitalized with COVID-19, with a median (IQR) body mass index (BMI; calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) of 30 (25-36) and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score of 1 (0-2). The sample included 16 American Indian or Alaska Native patients, 439 Asian (not otherwise specified) patients, 15 Black patients, 66 Chinese patients, 246 Filipino patients, 76 Hispanic patients, 107 Japanese patients, 10 Korean patients, 299 Native Hawaiian patients, 523 Pacific Islander (not otherwise specified) patients, 156 Samoan patients, 5 Vietnamese patients, and 311 White patients (patients were able to identify as >1 race or ethnicity). When adjusting for age, BMI, sex, medical comorbidities, and socioeconomic neighborhood status, there were no differences in either ICU transfer (eg, Medicare vs commercial insurance: odds ratio [OR], 0.84; 95% CI, 0.43-1.64) or in-hospital mortality (eg, Medicare vs commercial insurance: OR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.36-2.03) as a function of insurance type. Disaggregation of race and ethnicity revealed that Filipino patients were more likely to die in the hospital (OR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.04-3.03; P = .03). When considering variant waves, mortality among Filipino patients was highest during the pre-Delta time period (OR, 2.72; 95% CI, 1.02-7.14; P = .04), when mortality among Japanese patients was lowest (OR, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.03-0.78; P = .04); mortality among Native Hawaiian patients was lowest during the Delta and Omicron period (OR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.13-0.79; P = .02). Patients with Medicare, compared with those with commercial insurance, were more likely to have received at least 1 COVID-19 vaccine (OR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.07-3.21; P = .03), but all patients, regardless of insurance type, who received at least 1 COVID-19 vaccine had reduced ICU admission (OR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.21-0.70; P = .002) and in-hospital mortality (OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.21-0.79; P = .01).

Conclusions and Relevance

In this cohort study of hospitalized patients with COVID-19, those with government-funded insurance coverage (Medicare or Medicaid) had similar outcomes compared with patients with commercial insurance, regardless of race or ethnicity. Disaggregation of race and ethnicity analysis revealed substantial outcome disparities and suggests opportunities for further study of the drivers underlying such disparities. Additionally, these findings illustrate that vaccination remains a critical tool to protect patients from COVID-19 mortality.

Adequacy of health message tailoring for ethnic minorities: Pasifika communities in Sydney, Australia, during COVID-19

Ethnic minorities, such as Pasifika, residing in high-income countries were at higher risk of COVID-19 infection during the pandemic. To understand the experiences of Pasifika, including message dissemination and barriers to tailored public health messaging during the pandemic, a qualitative study was undertaken, underpinned by Laswell's Model of Communication and Bandura's social cognitive theory with data collected using Pasifika methods. Pasifika adults (n = 65) were recruited across Sydney from July 2020 to March 2022. Health care professionals (HCP) (n = 17) employed by four local health districts (LHDs) and Pasifika community-based organizations delivering multicultural COVID-19-related work within the study catchment, were also recruited. Five themes were constructed from the data of: (i) prevailing fear and uncertainty over COVID-19 infection and losing employment; (ii) limited knowledge of government perpetuating distrust in Government as a benevolent source of information; (iii) faith and trust as priorities for health decision-making; (iv) 'Coconut wireless'-the role of family, friends and community in disseminating public health messages through word of mouth; and (v) limited health literacy affecting compliance with public health orders. Community members identified important messages and resources had not been sufficiently distributed. Most HCPs understood the necessity of grassroots-level engagement but reported existing approaches were inadequate to navigate challenges. These findings highlight the need for public health promotion and communication strategies that consider both the social and cultural determinants of health. We propose a 7-point checklist as a cultural appropriateness lens to assist the development and rating of existing or new health promotion messaging and resources.

No Kākou, Na Kākou - For Us, By Us: Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders Informing Race Data Collection Standards for Hawai'i

This article describes recommendations for standardized race data collection developed by the Hawai'i Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander COVID-19 Response, Recovery, and Resilience Team (NHPI 3R Team). These recommendations attempt to address the expressed desires of Native Hawaiians and the diverse Pacific Islander communities in Hawai'i who seek greater visibility in data and research. The Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) racial category is 1 of the 5 racial categories listed in the 1997 Statistical Policy Directive #15 issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The OMB directive sets the minimum standard for collection of race data in federal surveys, administrative forms, records, and other data collection. The NHPI 3R Team's recommendation provides a standard for detailed data collection that could improve smaller communities' ability to identify, advocate for, and address their own needs. The article also describes lessons learned through the collaborative and iterative process that was led by members and leaders of NHPI communities impacted by data driven decisions and policies. The NHPI 3R Team focused on expanding and standardizing race data collection as part of their COVID-19 response efforts, but implementation of the recommendations could produce benefits well beyond the pandemic.