Health researchers and service providers increasingly are interested in the Amish, a North American-based population whose rapid growth is occurring almost entirely in rural North America. In these rural locations, they have an outsized impact on local culture and infrastructure, both as they concentrate in existing communities and migrate to new places. Amishness refers to an ethnic group defined by a sense of shared history represented in part by a closed genetic pool of Swiss-German origin, a minority language, and a subjective sense of shared culture transmitted across generations and evident in, for example, ethnic and ancestral literature; ethnic enclaves and landscapes; insider-specific systems of symbols and meaning-making; and particular lifestyle-behavioral patterns. As an ethnic religion, the Amish are of interest to population health researchers due to a distinctive health profile arising from ethnic attributes, including a closed genetic pool and shared culture that shapes lifestyle practices. Amish-focused health research both furthers the knowledge base of health conditions by comparing Amish with non-Amish and assists health practitioners in serving this rapidly growing population.
Amish health research is in need of review from the perspective of strengthening this knowledge body’s coherence, clarifying research directions, and identifying knowledge gaps, lapses, and stagnations. As described in the November 2022 issue of the journal Ethnicity & Health, researchers synthesize and discuss Amish physical health conditions research, both the population’s distinctive health profile and mechanisms shaping it. Specifically, they summarize research addressing body mass index (BMI), physical activity, and body image; diet and supplements; cancer; cardiovascular conditions; communicable diseases; immunity; sleep; genetic disorders; tobacco and alcohol use; periodontal conditions; traumatic injuries; natural treatments for burns; fertility; and sexually transmitted diseases. Upon reflection, questions are raised about the nature of intervening mechanisms shaping the Amish health profile, the strange omission of several common independent variables commonly used when studying other ethnic groups’ health, several recurring methodological complications, and public health policy considerations. A concluding thought is that because the Amish population is growing, any unresolved Amish-specific public health concerns will only increase. For example, they have a disproportionate share of individuals who reject many or all vaccinations. The possibility for vaccine-specific outbreaks will only grow (e.g., measles).