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The five elements and Chinese-American mortality.

¹Department of Economics, Pomona College, Claremont, CA 91711, USA. gsmith@pomona.edu

Health Psychology : Official Journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association

|February 2, 2006

Summary

A 1993 study suggested Chinese Americans" birth years linked to disease vulnerability, but later analyses using more data and methods did not replicate these findings.

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Area of Science:

Epidemiology
Public Health
Medical Sociology

Background:

Previous research suggested a link between Chinese astrology, traditional Chinese medicine, and disease vulnerability in Chinese Americans based on birth years.
The initial study hypothesized that individuals born in specific Chinese zodiac years might be more susceptible to diseases associated with those years' elements (e.g., fire and heart disease).

Purpose of the Study:

To re-evaluate the association between Chinese birth years and disease mortality in Chinese Americans.
To address limitations in the original study, including excluded diseases and indirect statistical tests.

Main Methods:

Utilized California mortality data from 1960-1968 and 1991-2002 for a more comprehensive statistical analysis.
Applied more complete statistical analyses to independent datasets, expanding upon the original study's timeframe and scope.

Main Results:

The original findings suggesting a link between Chinese birth years and disease vulnerability were not replicated.
More extensive statistical analysis and additional mortality data did not support the initial hypothesis.

Conclusions:

The association between Chinese birth years and specific disease mortality patterns in Chinese Americans, as initially reported, could not be substantiated with further data and analysis.
The study highlights the importance of robust statistical methods and comprehensive data in epidemiological research.

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