Simona C Kwon
Biographic Data
| ID | 83155 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Simona C Kwon |
| GIVEN NAMES | Simona C |
| FAMILY NAME | Kwon |
| SIGNATURE | KWON S C |
| AFFILIATIONS | New York University |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-2398-704X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 51 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 86 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 51 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2006 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Covid-19, Anti-Asian Discrimination and Stress
Evaluating a Community-partnered Approach to Address Locally Relevant Determinants of Cancer Screening in New York City
Community engagement is a dynamic process that requires adapting to community partners' goals and sharing decision-making power
Lessons learned to improve engagement, recruitment and retention of multilingual communities
Many communities are oftentimes labeled as “hard to reach communities” by health researchers. Instead, what may be a more appropriate framing is that conventional research approaches are a mismatch for recruiting and retaining these understudied communities. This paper describes an inclusive research process with particular attention to engaging multilingual communities in the U.S. that we have developed while implementing a community-level nutri…
Applying Social Marketing Principles for Community-Based Cancer Screening Programs
Minoritized communities often experience worse health outcomes on the cancer continuum. Mainstream strategies may have limited reach and utility to populations experiencing inequities in real-world settings. Through the combined use of community-based participatory research (CBPR) and social marketing strategies, which highlight community-centered and culturally adapted processes, we provide an approach to inform future intervention research acro…
Mentoring and Partnerships for Health Equity Research
Acculturation and Health in Asian American Communities
To date, public health literature has treated acculturation as a static determinant of health in Asian American communities without offering actionable recommendations. Four limitations exist in current research: use of proxies for acculturation, focusing on cultural practices (not values and identity), not considering the context of reception for Asian American individuals in the receiving country, and ignoring time and digitalization. We recomm…
Chinese American Pain Experience Project (Cape)
Meaningful Community-Engaged Partnerships
Findings to facilitate community health programming and initiatives were built from lessons learned and informed by new and existing community-based partners
The impact of anti-Asian racism on routine activities and mental health among Korean American older adults and their caregivers
Study findings indicate that the increased reporting of anti-Asian racism during the COVID-19 pandemic has substantially affected Korean American older adults and their caregivers. The mechanism by which changes to routine activities is related to negative mental health symptoms is unclear, future research is needed to elucidate this pathway. Furthermore, our findings highlight the importance of identifying multi-level strategies to raise awarene…
Social Media Use and Misinformation Among Asian Americans During Covid-19
Social media has been crucial for seeking and communicating COVID-19 information. However, social media has also promulgated misinformation, which is particularly concerning among Asian Americans who may rely on in-language information and utilize social media platforms to connect to Asia-based networks. There is limited literature examining social media use for COVID-19 information and the subsequent impact of misinformation on health behaviors …
Covid-19 and Asian Americans
Introduction: Community-based organizations (CBOs) have provided critical resources during the pandemic, particularly for marginalized communities, and are trusted liaisons who connect socially and linguistically isolated community members, such as the highly diverse Asian American population, to care during public health emergencies. Stereotypes such as the model minority myth have permeated public perception of Asian Americans' health status an…
Evaluation of a Diabetes Prevention Intervention for Korean American immigrants at Risk for Diabetes
Purpose: Despite the small but growing number of studies documenting the increasing prevalence of diabetes among Korean Americans, no culturally adapted interventions have been developed for Korean Americans at risk for diabetes. We evaluate the efficacy of a culturally tailored lifestyle intervention among Korean American immigrants at risk for diabetes in New York City (NYC). Methods: Korean Americans at risk for diabetes were recruited into a …
Promoting Physical Activity Among Immigrant Asian Americans
Acculturation, Discrimination and 24-h Activity in Asian American Immigrant Women
Assessing changes in the food retail environment during the Covid-19 pandemic
Our multi-step data collection approach maximized safety and efficiency while minimizing cost and resources. Challenges in remote data collection varied by neighborhood and may reflect the different resources or social capital of the communities; understanding neighborhood-specific constraints prior to data collection may streamline the process
Exploring community knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of Alzheimer's Disease/Alzheimer's Disease‐Related Dementias and healthy ageing in Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders
Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) disparities exist in the rapidly growing and extremely heterogeneous Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NH/PI) ageing populations in the United States. Limited community-clinical resources supporting culturally competent and timely diagnosis exacerbate barriers to existing care services in these populations. Community-based participatory research or community-engaged resear…
Knowledge, Attitudes, and Cultural Beliefs about Healthy Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease among Older Chinese Americans in New York City
The Mutually Reinforcing Cycle Of Poor Data Quality And Racialized Stereotypes That Shapes Asian American Health
The Asian American health narrative reflects a long history of structural racism in the US and the complex interplay of racialized history, immigrant patterns, and policies regarding Asians in the US. Yet owing to systematic issues in data collection including missing or misclassified data for Asian Americans and practices that lead to indiscriminate grouping of unlike individuals (for example, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Bangladeshi) together in da…
The Impact of Structural Inequities on Older Asian Americans During Covid-19
Structural racism manifests as an historical and continued invisibility of Asian Americans, whose experiences of disparities and diverse needs are omitted in research, data, and policy. During the pandemic, this invisibility intersects with rising anti-Asian violence and other persistent structural inequities that contribute to higher COVID-19 mortality in older Asian Americans compared to non-Hispanic whites. This perspective describes how struc…
Structural Racism and Immigrant Health in the United States
Immigration has been historically and contemporarily racialized in the United States. Although each immigrant group has unique histories, current patterns, and specific experiences, racialized immigrant groups such as Latino, Asian, and Arab immigrants all experience health inequities that are not solely due to nativity or years of residence but also influenced by conditional citizenship and subjective sense of belonging or othering. Critical rac…
Dietary Policies and Programs
Purpose: Dietary behaviors are key modifiable risk factors in averting cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of morbidity, mortality, and disability in the United States. Before investing in adoption and implementation, community-based organizations, public health practitioners, and policymakers—often working with limited resources—need to compare the population health impacts of different food policies and programs to determine priorit…
Immigrant Communities and Covid-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the many broken fragments of US health care and social service systems, reinforcing extant health and socioeconomic inequities faced by structurally marginalized immigrant communities. Throughout the pandemic, even during the most critical period of rising cases in different epicenters, immigrants continued to work in high-risk-exposure environments while simultaneously having less access to health care and econo…
Caregiving Across Cultures
Caregiving Across Cultures: Priority Areas for Research, Policy, and Practice to Support Family Caregivers of Older Asian Immigrants Minakshi Raj PhD, MPH, Sasha Zhou PhD, Stella S. Yi PhD, and Simona Kwon DrPH Affiliation Minakshi Raj is with the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign. Sasha Zhou is with the Department of Public Health, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI. Stella S. …
Determinants of Depression Risk among Three Asian American Subgroups in New York City
Depression risk and determinants differed by Asian American ethnic subgroup. Identifying factors associated with depression risk among these groups is key to targeting limited public health resources for these underserved communities
Gender Differences in Acculturative Stress and Habitual Sleep Duration in Korean American Immigrants
Commentary
Fifty years ago, the term model minority was coined to describe the extraordinary ability of Asian Americans to overcome hardship to succeed in American society. Less well-known is how the model minority stereotype was cultivated within the context of Black-White race relations during the second half of the 20th century, and how this stereotype, in turn, has contributed to the understanding and prioritization of health disparities experienced by …
The Mutually Reinforcing Cycle Of Poor Data Quality And Racialized Stereotypes That Shapes Asian American Health
The Asian American health narrative reflects a long history of structural racism in the US and the complex interplay of racialized history, immigrant patterns, and policies regarding Asians in the US. Yet owing to systematic issues in data collection including missing or misclassified data for Asian Americans and practices that lead to indiscriminate grouping of unlike individuals (for example, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Bangladeshi) together in da…
Determinants of Depression Risk among Three Asian American Subgroups in New York City
Depression risk and determinants differed by Asian American ethnic subgroup. Identifying factors associated with depression risk among these groups is key to targeting limited public health resources for these underserved communities
Immigrant Communities and Covid-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the many broken fragments of US health care and social service systems, reinforcing extant health and socioeconomic inequities faced by structurally marginalized immigrant communities. Throughout the pandemic, even during the most critical period of rising cases in different epicenters, immigrants continued to work in high-risk-exposure environments while simultaneously having less access to health care and econo…
Oral Health Care Receipt and Self-Rated Oral Health for Diverse Asian American Subgroups in New York City
Objectives. To identify determinants of receipt of annual oral health examinations and self-rated oral health among diverse Asian American subgroups. Methods. We used data from the Community Health Resources and Needs Assessment, a community-based survey of Asian American immigrant adults conducted in the New York City metropolitan region from 2013 to 2016 (n = 1288). We used multivariable logistic regression models to assess determinants of oral…
The impact of anti-Asian racism on routine activities and mental health among Korean American older adults and their caregivers
Study findings indicate that the increased reporting of anti-Asian racism during the COVID-19 pandemic has substantially affected Korean American older adults and their caregivers. The mechanism by which changes to routine activities is related to negative mental health symptoms is unclear, future research is needed to elucidate this pathway. Furthermore, our findings highlight the importance of identifying multi-level strategies to raise awarene…
Factors Associated with Health Insurance Status in an Asian American Population in New York City
Evaluation of Community–Academic Partnership Functioning
Conducting ongoing partnership evaluations is necessary to reassess and align processes and protocols to enhance partnership functioning and strengthen group cohesion
Physical Activity, Fruit and Vegetable Intake, and Health-Related Quality of Life Among Older Chinese, Hispanics, and Blacks in New York City
Objectives. We explored the relationship between health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and adequate physical activity (PA) and fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake among racial/ethnic minority groups aged 60 years or older living in New York City (NYC). Methods. Survey data from 2009 to 2012 targeted minority groups in NYC ethnic enclaves; we analyzed 3594 individuals (Blacks, Hispanics, and Chinese) aged 60 years or older. Descriptive statistics we…
The Asian American Hepatitis B Program
Grassroots community organizing and campus-community partnerships can be successfully leveraged to address and prevent a significant health disparity in an underserved and diverse community
Caregiving Across Cultures
Caregiving Across Cultures: Priority Areas for Research, Policy, and Practice to Support Family Caregivers of Older Asian Immigrants Minakshi Raj PhD, MPH, Sasha Zhou PhD, Stella S. Yi PhD, and Simona Kwon DrPH Affiliation Minakshi Raj is with the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign. Sasha Zhou is with the Department of Public Health, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI. Stella S. …
After 10 Years
We compare the findings from this Delphi process with the priorities identified in 2007 to reflect on how the field has progressed. It is our hope that community and academic stakeholders will be able to use these priorities as a guide to their community-engaged research in the coming years
Moving the Dial to Advance Population Health Equity in New York City Asian American Populations
The shift toward a health equity framework for eliminating the health disparities burden of racial/ethnic minority populations has moved away from a disease-focused model to a social determinants framework that aims to achieve the highest attainment of health for all. The New York University Center for the Study of Asian American Health (CSAAH) has identified core themes and strategies for advancing population health equity for Asian American pop…
Developing the Community Empowered Research Training Program
CBOs possess both an interest in and access to local knowledge that can inform health priorities. Findings have been applied to the CERT program to build capacity to support community-initiated/driven research to address health disparities affecting AAs and NHPIs
Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Among South Asian Women in New York City
Cancer Screening Practices of Asian American Physicians in New York City
Methodological Issues in the Collection, Analysis, and Reporting of Granular Data in Asian American Populations
There are close to 15 million Asian Americans living in the United States, and they represent the fastest growing populations in the country. By the year 2050, there will be an estimated 33.4 million Asian Americans living in the country. However, their health needs remain poorly understood and there is a critical lack of data disaggregated by Asian American ethnic subgroups, primary language, and geography. This paper examines methodological iss…
The Asian American Hepatitis B Program
Grassroots community organizing and campus-community partnerships can be successfully leveraged to address and prevent a significant health disparity in an underserved and diverse community
Evaluation of Community–Academic Partnership Functioning
Evaluation of Community–Academic Partnership Functioning: Center for the Elimination of Hepatitis B Health Disparities Nancy VanDevanter, DrPH, RN , Simona Kwon, DrPH, MPH , Shao-Chee Sim, PhD , Kay Chun, MD , B Free CEED Coalition, and Chau Trinh-Shevrin, DrPH What Is the Purpose of This Study? • To conduct a process evaluation using surveys and interviews of the B Free CEED partnership coalition, a community–academic partnership created to addr…
Evaluation of Community–Academic Partnership Functioning
Conducting ongoing partnership evaluations is necessary to reassess and align processes and protocols to enhance partnership functioning and strengthen group cohesion
Developing the Community Empowered Research Training Program
CBOs possess both an interest in and access to local knowledge that can inform health priorities. Findings have been applied to the CERT program to build capacity to support community-initiated/driven research to address health disparities affecting AAs and NHPIs
Role of Federal Policy in Building Research Infrastructure Among Emerging Minorities
Research centers provide the capacity needed for academic institutions and communities to work together synergistically in achieving the goal to reduce health disparities in the Asian American community. Policies that support the development of concentrated and targeted research for Asian Americans must continue so that these centers will reach their full potential
Diabetes Prevention in the New York City Sikh Asian Indian Community
India has one of the highest burdens of diabetes worldwide, and rates of diabetes are also high among Asian Indian immigrants that have migrated into the United States (U.S.). Sikhs represent a significant portion of Asian Indians in the U.S. Diabetes prevention programs have shown the benefits of using lifestyle intervention to reduce diabetes risk, yet there have been no culturally-tailored programs for diabetes prevention in the Sikh community…
A Culturally Adapted Smoking Cessation Intervention for Korean Americans
Duration of US Residence Is Associated With Overweight Risk in Filipino Immigrants Living in New York Metro Area
We examined the association between years living in the United States and overweight risk among a community sample of Filipino adult immigrants living in the New York metropolitan area. We found a significant and adverse association between years living in the United States and overweight risk. Compared with Filipinos who lived in the United States less than 5 years, those who lived in the United States 10 years or longer had a higher overweight …
Moving the Dial to Advance Population Health Equity in New York City Asian American Populations
The shift toward a health equity framework for eliminating the health disparities burden of racial/ethnic minority populations has moved away from a disease-focused model to a social determinants framework that aims to achieve the highest attainment of health for all. The New York University Center for the Study of Asian American Health (CSAAH) has identified core themes and strategies for advancing population health equity for Asian American pop…
Physical Activity, Fruit and Vegetable Intake, and Health-Related Quality of Life Among Older Chinese, Hispanics, and Blacks in New York City
Objectives. We explored the relationship between health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and adequate physical activity (PA) and fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake among racial/ethnic minority groups aged 60 years or older living in New York City (NYC). Methods. Survey data from 2009 to 2012 targeted minority groups in NYC ethnic enclaves; we analyzed 3594 individuals (Blacks, Hispanics, and Chinese) aged 60 years or older. Descriptive statistics we…
Disparities in Diabetes Management in Asian Americans in New York City Compared With Other Racial/Ethnic Minority Groups
We examined diabetes management practices among Hispanics, Blacks, and 3 Asian American subgroups in New York City. Compared with Blacks and Hispanics, all 3 Asian American subgroups had lower average rates of diabetes management practices. Compared with Blacks, Chinese and Koreans were significantly less likely to participate in all diabetes management behaviors and practices, whereas Asian Indians were significantly less likely to perform feet …
Using Evidence-Based Policy, Systems, and Environmental Strategies to Increase Access to Healthy Food and Opportunities for Physical Activity Among Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islan…
Recent initiatives have focused on the dissemination of evidence-based policy, systems, and environmental (EBPSE) strategies to reduce health disparities. Targeted, community-level efforts are needed to supplement these approaches for comparable results among Asian Americans and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPIs).The STRIVE Project funded 15 Asian American and NHPI community-based organizations (CBOs) to implement culturally adapted s…
Commentary
Fifty years ago, the term model minority was coined to describe the extraordinary ability of Asian Americans to overcome hardship to succeed in American society. Less well-known is how the model minority stereotype was cultivated within the context of Black-White race relations during the second half of the 20th century, and how this stereotype, in turn, has contributed to the understanding and prioritization of health disparities experienced by …
Hepatitis B Screening & Vaccination Behaviors in a Community-based Sample of Chinese & Korean Americans in New York City
Targeted efforts in these at-risk communities are necessary to improve HBV knowledge, address misinformation about HBV, and eliminate provider-, patient-, and resource-related barriers to HBV screening and vaccination
Asian American Dietary Sources of Sodium and Salt Behaviors Compared with Other Racial/Ethnic Groups, NHANES, 2011-2012
Mean sodium consumption and sources vary across racial/ethnic groups with highest consumption in Asian Americans. Given the smaller number of food categories contributing to sodium intake in Asian Americans, results imply that targeted activities on a few food items would have a large impact on reducing sodium intake in this group
Content analysis of targeted food and beverage advertisements in a Chinese-American neighbourhood
Objectives The current descriptive study aimed to: (i) quantify the number and type of advertisements (ads) located in a Chinese-American neighbourhood in a large, urban city; and (ii) catalogue the targeted marketing themes used in the food/beverage ads. Design Ten pairs of trained research assistants photographed all outdoor ads in a 0·6 mile 2 (1·6 km 2 ) area where more than 60·0 % of residents identify as Chinese American. We used content an…
After 10 Years
We compare the findings from this Delphi process with the priorities identified in 2007 to reflect on how the field has progressed. It is our hope that community and academic stakeholders will be able to use these priorities as a guide to their community-engaged research in the coming years
Podcast Interview Transcript
Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action - Volume 11, Issue 4, Winter 2017
Oral Health Care Receipt and Self-Rated Oral Health for Diverse Asian American Subgroups in New York City
Objectives. To identify determinants of receipt of annual oral health examinations and self-rated oral health among diverse Asian American subgroups. Methods. We used data from the Community Health Resources and Needs Assessment, a community-based survey of Asian American immigrant adults conducted in the New York City metropolitan region from 2013 to 2016 (n = 1288). We used multivariable logistic regression models to assess determinants of oral…
Dietary Patterns in Chinese Americans are Associated with Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors, the Chinese American Cardiovascular Health Assessment (CHA CHA)
Implementing a Targeted and Culturally Tailored Policy, Systems, and Environmental Nutrition Strategy to Reach Korean Americans
Local CBOs can play a significant role in complementing population-level strategies with more tailored and targeted approaches to reach racial and ethnic minority groups
Factors Associated with Health Insurance Status in an Asian American Population in New York City
Medicine (45 works) · Ethnic group (27 works) · Gerontology (27 works) · Political science (26 works) · Environmental health (24 works) · Public health (24 works) · Nursing (20 works) · Sociology (18 works) · Health equity (17 works) · Population (17 works)