A recent report from the South Asian Public Health Association (SAPHA) found that there is little information about the health status, needs and concerns of the country's South Asian community.

The Washington, D.C.-based organization created the Brown Paper, the first national initiative to investigate and publicize the general health of South Asian Americans with the hope that the medical community would further research this fast-growing population.

'This new report finally brings together literature from all over the world to help us understand the health needs of this rapidly growing group of Americans,' said contributor Susan L. Ivey, M.D., a researcher of cardiovascular disease among South Asians. 'Health care providers, researchers and policymakers will be better able to provide care and solutions to health disparities among South Asians.'

There are about 2 million people of South Asian origin living in the United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The population grew 106 percent from 1990 to 2000.

The Brown Paper consists of 13 chapters, with topics ranging from women's health and diabetes to substance abuse and mental health. The document also includes a comprehensive resource guide, which includes more than 100 resources and information about health agencies that support South Asian Americans.

Among the report's findings is the discovery of the leading cause of death among South Asians - heart disease. The paper found that more Asian Indians suffer from cardiovascular disease than other Asians and whites.

The top chronic illnesses plaguing the community are obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure, according to the report.

The Brown Paper also reinforces the need for better access to healthcare for South Asian Americans. Asian-American children are two to three times more likely then whites to lack a regular source of health-care services.

In addition, Indian women immigrants are more likely to deliver babies with low birth weight than white women even though their prenatal care during the first trimester is consistent with that of whites, the report found.

One of the biggest problems highlighted in the Brown Paper is the stigma associated with seeking help, whether it's women suffering from domestic abuse or people in high-risk HIV categories.

'All too often, South Asians are seen as a model minority, which prevents understanding and further research into their health issues,' said Ushma Upadhyay, co-editor of the Brown Paper and a member of SAPHA's board of directors.

'As long as people believe that substance abuse or HIV has not touched this community, the longer it will take for South Asians battling stigmatized illnesses to seek and get assistance,' he said.