{"id":8410,"date":"2026-05-21T14:01:38","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T14:01:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8410"},"modified":"2026-05-21T14:01:38","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T14:01:38","slug":"researchers-at-uci-want-to-build-biggest-database-ever-on-asian-american-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8410","title":{"rendered":"Researchers at UCI want to build biggest database ever on Asian American health"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Researchers at UC Irvine believe a new public health study they\u2019re helping to run \u2013 the first of its size to focus solely on Asian Americans \u2013 will help unravel some mysterious and troubling new trends linking race and cancer.<\/p>\n

Read more US markets head lower as oil prices resume their climb and higher treasury yields pressure stocks<\/a><\/p>\n

Over the next four years, UCI researchers hope to recruit 1,800 Asian Americans living in Orange and Los Angeles counties to participate in a year-long, survey-based study. As it is collected, the Southern California data will be merged with similar pools of information collected by researchers at UC San Francisco, UC Davis, Cedars-Sinai and Temple University. The combined reports, gathered from different parts of the country, will create what researchers have named the ASPIRE (Asian American Prospective Research) Cohort, a pool of information from roughly 20,000 people.<\/p>\n

Participation in the study will be limited by age (people ages 40 to 75) and health (participants can\u2019t have a known cancer diagnosis) and race (Asian or Asian American or multi-racial).<\/p>\n

And the data will be based on questions asked in four surveys given over the course of a year, touching on topics as diverse as diet and lifestyle, income, sleep and stress factors, such as racial discrimination. Some participants also will be asked to give saliva samples, meaning genetic information also will help form the database.<\/p>\n

When complete, the ASPIRE Cohort is expected to be the biggest pool of health information ever collected about Asian Americans, a demographic that accounts for nearly 8% of the U.S. population yet is the subject of only 0.17% of research funded by the National Institutes of Health.<\/p>\n

Over time, that data could be used by researchers involved in cancer and other diseases and by researchers looking at non-health issues ranging from demographics and job trends to urban design.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was training as an epidemiologist at Harvard, I worked on data from the Nurses (Health) Study, which is a pool of information collected over several decades from tens of thousands of people. But that data set is 97% White. Ours will be the first study in the nation to look at this many people from Asian cultures,\u201d said Dr. Sunmin Lee, a professor of hematology and oncology in the UC Irvine Scho<\/p>\n

ol of Medicine and co-leader of the cancer control program at the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cIt will be interesting to find out what we learn from this data,\u201d Lee added. \u201cThis will be something unique.\u201d<\/p>\n

The study is coming at a time when cancer trends, particularly among certain Asian American groups, are shifting in ways that confound researchers.<\/p>\n

Overall, cancer deaths in the United States have fallen dramatically during most of this century. Two years ago, the Centers for Disease Control issued a report that found cancer death rates in the United States dropped by nearly a third (29.2%) from 1999 to 2022. The trend reflected gains in cancer treatments and early testing, genetic advances, lifestyle shifts and legislation aimed at curbing tobacco use.<\/p>\n

The decline in cancer mortality also is viewed as particularly significant because it has come during a time when the U.S. population is growing older and more obese, two factors that tend to drive up cancer deaths.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

But not all of the cancer trends are rosy. And researchers have been puzzled by a few specific, and glaring, counter-trends, including some that suggest rising cancer risks for the nation\u2019s diverse Asian American community.<\/p>\n

For example:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Asian American women who\u2019ve never smoked are twice as likely as other non-smoking women to be diagnosed with lung cancer. In fact, more than half of all Asian American women who are diagnosed with lung cancer are non-smokers, according to the Prevent Cancer Foundation. That\u2019s not true for any other race or ethnic group.<\/p>\n

Read more This hard-line Iranian general is a major player in talks with US over war<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2022 Though Asian American women historically have been less likely than other women to be diagnosed with breast cancer, recent trends point to a reversal, with breast cancer rates rising faster for Asian American women than in any other racial or ethnic group. The trend varies, however, among , with breast cancer accounting for 17% of all cancers among Hmong women and 44% among Fijian women, according to the American Cancer Society.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Heart disease is the leading cause of death for Americans, overall, followed by cancer. But the order is reversed for many Asian Americans, with cancer ranked as the No. 1 killer for Chinese, Filipino, Korean, and Vietnamese Americans. That\u2019s true of no other non-Asian racial or ethnic group.<\/p>\n

These trends are particularly important in Southern California, which has the nation\u2019s biggest Asian American population.<\/p>\n

While Asian Americans account for nearly 8% of the overall U.S. population, Asians and Pacific Islanders account for about 25% of all residents in Orange County and about 17% of the residents in Los Angeles County, which has the nation\u2019s single-biggest Asian American community \u2013 1.7 million people.<\/p>\n

Researchers have some theories for why some groups are being hit harder by different types of cancer. Lee, of UCI, said the ASPIRE Cohort will provide data to test those theories.<\/p>\n

Diet, for example, is viewed as a potential catalyst. Lee noted that as cancer rates have shifted among Asian Americans, they\u2019ve also risen in some Asian countries, particularly where Western food is starting to eclipse traditional meals and agriculture.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Western lifestyle might be part of this,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut that\u2019s why this data will be helpful,\u201d she added. \u201cIt\u2019s not just diet or education or social stressors; nothing is proven to be one single risk factor.\u201d<\/p>\n

A hurdle to creating that database could be communication. Lee said she\u2019s planning to contact non-English media in Orange and Los Angeles counties and use online media to attract participants. And while there is some compensation for people involved in the study \u2013 about $25 for answering all four surveys given over a year and another $10 for a saliva sample \u2013 Lee suggested money isn\u2019t going to drive participation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want more people to contribute,\u201d Lee said. \u201cBut their children and grandchildren will benefit.\u201d<\/p>\n

The current round of ASPIRE Cohort funding \u2013 about $12.45 million from the National Cancer Institute \u2013 will allow for about five years of data collection and a follow-up paper, or papers. But Lee said she and other researchers would be open to following up with more data from more people, if future funding becomes available.<\/p>\n

There is precedent for long-term, longitudinal studies being funded over multiple generations. The Nurses Health Study that Lee used as a student, which started in the early 1970s, included information from about 120,000 people when Lee was in school and now has data from about 280,000 people, making it one of the biggest studies ever conducted.<\/p>\n

All those numbers, Lee suggested, are powerful.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur job is to work with the data and the numbers,\u201d Lee said. \u201cOnly the data can tell us the story.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t just guess.\u201d<\/p>\n

To participate in the ASPIRE Cohort, contact aspire@uci.edu or call 949-602-4338.<\/p>\n

Read more Look for these 3 new items coming to Taco Bell<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The ASPIRE Cohort could help unravel some mysterious and troubling links between cancer and race.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8409,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-based-on-facts-either-observed-and-verified-directly-by-the-reporter-or-reported-and-verified-from-knowledgeable-sources","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nResearchers at UCI want to build biggest database ever on Asian American health - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8410\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Researchers at UCI want to build biggest database ever on Asian American health - Silicon Valley Moving Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The ASPIRE Cohort could help unravel some mysterious and troubling links between cancer and race.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8410\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Silicon Valley Moving Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-21T14:01:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=8410#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=8410\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\"},\"headline\":\"Researchers at UCI want to build biggest database ever on Asian American health\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-21T14:01:38+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=8410\"},\"wordCount\":1199,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=8410#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/0374fbcbbec55438db90bcbf5329ef95.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=8410#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=8410\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=8410\",\"name\":\"Researchers at UCI want to build biggest database ever on Asian American health - Silicon Valley Moving Post\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=8410#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=8410#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/0374fbcbbec55438db90bcbf5329ef95.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-21T14:01:38+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=8410#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=8410\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=8410#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/0374fbcbbec55438db90bcbf5329ef95.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/0374fbcbbec55438db90bcbf5329ef95.webp\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":713},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=8410#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Researchers at UCI want to build biggest database ever on Asian American health\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Silicon Valley Moving Post\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Researchers at UCI want to build biggest database ever on Asian American health - Silicon Valley Moving Post","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8410","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Researchers at UCI want to build biggest database ever on Asian American health - Silicon Valley Moving Post","og_description":"The ASPIRE Cohort could help unravel some mysterious and troubling links between cancer and race.","og_url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8410","og_site_name":"Silicon Valley Moving Post","article_published_time":"2026-05-21T14:01:38+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8410#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8410"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7"},"headline":"Researchers at UCI want to build biggest database ever on Asian American health","datePublished":"2026-05-21T14:01:38+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8410"},"wordCount":1199,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8410#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0374fbcbbec55438db90bcbf5329ef95.webp","articleSection":["Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.","News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8410#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8410","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8410","name":"Researchers at UCI want to build biggest database ever on Asian American health - Silicon Valley Moving Post","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8410#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8410#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0374fbcbbec55438db90bcbf5329ef95.webp","datePublished":"2026-05-21T14:01:38+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8410#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8410"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8410#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0374fbcbbec55438db90bcbf5329ef95.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0374fbcbbec55438db90bcbf5329ef95.webp","width":1024,"height":713},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8410#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Researchers at UCI want to build biggest database ever on Asian American health"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/","name":"Silicon Valley Moving Post","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com"],"url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8410"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8410\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}