of persons from some 28 Asian countries and 25 Pacific Island cultures (Lin-Fu, 1993). Each of these subgroups has its own distinctive history, culture, and language. Table 14–12 presents 1990 census data that show percentages of poverty and median income levels for subgroups of the Asian or Pacific Islander population (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1993). Overall median income and aggregate poverty level mask the tremendous heterogeneity within that population, and it is these differences that predict variations in health status. Table 14–13 presents incidence rates for four frequently diagnosed cancers among females in Asian or Pacific Islander subgroups (Miller et al., 1996). (Rates for Blacks and Whites are included for comparison purposes.) These data reveal that there is considerable variation in cancer incidence rates for the six ethnic groups considered and that the risk of cancer varies by group and by cancer site.

The considerable cultural and ethnic diversity of the Black population