Ethnic identities and lifestyles in a multi-ethnic cancer patient population

This report examined ethnic identity in 367 recently diagnosed cancer patients in Hawai'i's primary ethnic groups: Japanese, Hawaiians, Europeans, and Filipinos. The study assessed ethnic self-identify; definitions of and participation in different ethnic lifestyles; and relationships between measures of ethnic self-identity, lifestyle, and other indicators of ethnic and cultural affiliations. Results indicated that medical record-based ethnic indicators were well linked to individual self-reports of family pedigree. Self-descriptors included non-standard terms such as "American" and "Local," and respondents reported following between five and six different ethnically-associated ways of life. Multivariate analysis indicated that ethnic self-identity made a unique contribution that went beyond standard ethnic and acculturative markers in explaining lifestyles. This study provides strong support for multiculturalism in this ethnically heterogeneous population.