Screening in special populations: A “case study” of recent vietnamese immigrants

To determine how the medical and social profile of a particular special population, Vietnamese immigrants, should be used to tailor screening protocols that differ from those designed for the general population. A consecutive series of Vietnamese immigrants living in the United States for less than 6 months were evaluated by interviewer-administered standardized questionnaire and medical record review. A total of 99 new Vietnamese immigrants (47 women and 52 men) aged 19 to 71 years presenting for primary care to two neighborhood health centers between October 1994 and June 1995 were identified. Data collected included smoking status, alcohol use (CAGE questionnaire), depression (Vietnamese Depression Scale [VDS]), PPD status, stool ova and parasites, hepatitis B and syphilis serologies. Overall, 32% were smokers and significantly more men than women smoked (54% vs. 9%) ( P