Risk for Disability and Poverty Among Central Asians in the United States

Abstract

Understanding the disability-poverty relationship among minority groups within the United States (US) populations may help inform interventions aimed at reducing health disparities. Limited information exists on risk factors for disability and poverty among “Central Asians” (immigrants born in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and other Central Asian regions of the former Soviet Union) in the US. The current cross-sectional analysis used information on 6,820 Central Asians to identify risk factors for disability and poverty. Data from the 2009-2013 Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) file from the American Community Survey (ACS) indicate that being married, non-Latino-white, and having higher levels of educational attainment are protective against disability and poverty. In contrast, older age, residing in the Middle Atlantic geographic division, and having limited English language ability are risk factors for both disability and poverty. Research should continue to develop risk profiles for understudied immigrant populations. Expanding knowledge on the well-being of Central Asians in the US may help impact public health interventions and inform health policies.

Keywords

• disability
• poverty
• American Community Survey
• Public Use Microdata Sample
• former USSR
• Central Asia