Insurance-associated disparities in cancer screening and adult immunization in a predominantly Asian immigrant community: a cross-sectional survey at two community health fairs in Garland, Texas.

backgroundPreventive screening and adult immunizations reduce morbidity and mortality, yet uptake remains uneven. Immigrant communities, particularly those facing language barriers, limited insurance coverage, and preventive health hesitancy, experience persistent gaps in preventive care. Asian immigrant populations, including Vietnamese immigrants, remain underrepresented in preventive health research.

methodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted at two community health fairs held in September and October 2025 in Garland, Texas: one at a Vietnamese church and one at the Dallas Police Asian Outreach Health Fair. Participants completed a survey assessing demographics, insurance status, and completion of age-appropriate preventive services, including mammography, cervical cancer screening, colorectal cancer screening, influenza vaccination, shingles vaccination, and pneumococcal vaccination. Eligibility was determined by age and sex; responses of "not sure" were classified as not completed. Preventive care completion was compared between insured and uninsured participants using unadjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

resultsAmong 136 participants, 90 (66.2%) were insured and 46 (33.8%) were uninsured. Participants ranged in age from 15 to 83 years. Insured participants were older than uninsured participants (mean age 62.2 vs 48.2 years;

conclusionIn this predominantly Asian immigrant community, where many respondents completed the survey in Vietnamese, uninsured adults had markedly lower completion of cancer screenings and adult immunizations, highlighting the combined impact of insurance gaps, language barriers, and preventive health hesitancy.