Historically, in the Washington DC area, the South Asian Public Health Association (SAPHA) has laid the groundwork for better understanding of health care needs for South Asian Americans. In 2002, SAPHA published “A Brown Paper: The Health of South Asians in the United States.” Since then, not much effort has been put towards this minority population. South Asian Americans, particularly low-income families and those who have immigrated more recently, face numerous health challenges, and little is known about how and why these challenges exist. We need to change this by developing a greater presence in the DC area.

Public health professionals and faculty at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services are interested in working towards eliminating health disparities among the South Asian American population. To that end, we are embarking on a project to conduct a needs assessment of the health issues facing this population in the DC metro region. Recognizing that there is a lack of health data on the South Asian population, the overall goal of this assessment is to better understand the health needs of South Asians living in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

The intent of this research is not to rate or report on individuals but rather to gather information that might, across all age groups, tell us more about what we need to move forward in understanding your health needs. If you choose to take part in this study, you will answer questions regarding your attitudes and perceptions about health and few questions on your health status. It will take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete this survey. Your willingness to participate in this research study is implied if you proceed with completing the consent form, which is the first page of the survey link provided below. If you decline, please close out of the survey link. If you have any questions or would like more information, please do not hesitate to contact Nitasha Chaudhary at nitasha.chaudhary@gmail.com or at 301-706-5598.

To enter the health assessment, please click on the following link: http://www.surveymonkey.com.