What is ‘South Asian’? A quantitative content analysis evaluating the use of South Asian ethnic categorization in Canadian health research

Abstract

The use of ‘South Asian’ ethnic categorization was investigated to determine if there is consistency in its use in health research in Canada. Quantitative content analysis and a secondary qualitative content analysis were carried out on articles retrieved from a systematic review of Canadian health research conducted on ‘South Asians’ from 2005 to 2012. About 22% of articles (n = 31) examining South Asian health in Canada failed to include an explicit definition of ‘South Asian’. The failure to use a consistent operationalized definition throughout the study and the inappropriate application of findings to the relevant South Asian subpopulations were the major problems noted in the literature. Given the contextuality and fluidity of ethnic identity, the authors recommend the consistent use of explicit definitions of the specific subgroup of interest and that findings based on specific subgroups not be applied to the ‘South Asian community’ at large.

Keywords:

• South Asian
• South Asian diaspora
• Canada
• health research
• ethnicity
• ethnic identifier

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Dr Rajiv Nariani (York University) and Dr Ryan K. Boettger (University of North Texas) for their invaluable advice and mentorship for this project.

Notes on contributors

Gayathri Naganathan is a master's candidate at the Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto (Toronto, Canada). Her thesis work is focused on mental health, homelessness and racialization in Toronto.

Farah Islam received her Ph.D. from the Kinesiology and Health Science program at York University (Toronto, Canada). Her research examines the mental health and mental healthcare utilization of Canada's immigrant, refugee, ethnocultural and racialized populations using epidemiology and mixed methods research.