The "model minority" myth holds that certain ethnic groups - for example, Asian Americans - are well-educated, hardworking, prosperous and healthy. But a recent University of Toronto study examining life expectancy among Asian Americans suggests that this perception is just that: a myth.
Lead author Hui Zheng, a demographer and social epidemiologist who is a professor in U of T's department of sociology in the Faculty of Arts & Science, said the increase in life expectancy of Asian Americans has either slowed or reversed compared to non-Hispanic white Americans between 2000 and 2022.
"The longstanding mortality advantage of Asian Americans compared to non-Hispanic white Americans has actually declined during the early 21st century," he says.
"This was really surprising to us."
For the study, published recently in the Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences , the researchers conducted a comprehensive analysis of life expectancy using years of life lost (YLL) - a measure representing the years of potential life lost before reaching average life expectancy. They looked at data collected from 2000 to 2022 for 25- to 84-year-olds in the six largest Asian ethnic subgroups in the United States: Chinese, Indian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean and Japanese.
The study found that among individuals with bachelor's degrees, life expectancy increased by 1.11 years for white men but decreased by 0.17 years for Asian American men. Among women, life expectancy increased by 0.89 years for white women compared with a much smaller increase of .004 years for Asian American women.
At the same time, the analysis revealed significant heterogeneity, or diversity, in mortality trends across six Asian ethnic groups.
"For example, since the turn of the century, Indian and Korean Americans experienced an increase in years of life lost; in other words, a decrease in life expectancy," says Leafia Ye, an assistant professor of international migration and aging in the department of sociology and a co-author of the study. "This stands in contrast to Japanese and Chinese Americans, who have generally experienced an increase in life expectancy."
The study also highlights complex variations among Asian Americans in socioeconomic status, health behaviours, racialized experiences and country of origin - all of which make it challenging to form an accurate picture of the health of individual subgroups.
The researchers say that continued acceptance of the model minority myth, along with its implicit suggestion of homogeneity, can have serious consequences.
"Because of this myth, academia has paid little attention to Asian Americans' health trends, operating under the assumption that they're doing fine," says Zheng. "Unsurprisingly, only a limited number of studies have examined their health outcomes. Also, analyses that ignore this heterogeneity can result in misleading conclusions and conceal the vulnerabilities of certain subgroups."
"For example, the two largest Asian American ethnic groups, Chinese and Indian Americans, have divergent trends. If we grouped them together, this could lead to misguided health policy. Effective public health policies must therefore account for this heterogeneity and adopt more targeted interventions."
The study also found that college-educated Asian Americans experienced less favourable mortality trends than their white counterparts, challenging the expectation that higher education consistently leads to better jobs and healthier, longer lives.
"This puzzle may reflect labour market discrimination," says Zheng. "It may be that discrimination is limiting the extent to which Asian Americans can translate educational advantages into occupational and income gains. Or, it could be prolonged exposure to discrimination that's acting as a chronic stressor."
The researchers' next step is to develop a more detailed understanding of the mechanisms underlying this heterogeneity - whether it is related to discrimination or a person's country of origin and the nutritional conditions there.
"Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial and ethnic group in the United States, with their population more than doubling between 2000 and 2023," says Zheng.
"As they become an increasingly significant part of the nation, understanding Asian Americans' health trends is crucial not only for their own well-being but also for accurately assessing overall population health in the U.S."
