Back to Annual Meeting

Back to Annual Meeting

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Marianne Fahs, PhD, MPH¹, Nina S. Parikh, PhD, MPH¹, Donna Shelley, MD, MPH², Anahi Viladrich, PhD³, Ming-Chin Yeh, PhD⁴, and Dee Burton, PhD⁵. (1) Brookdale Center on Aging, Hunter College of the City University of New York, 425 East 25th Street, 13th Floor North, New York, NY NY, (212) 481-5420, mfahs@hunter.cuny.edu, (2) Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 722 W. 168th Street, Suite 526, New York, NY 10032, (3) School of Health Sciences, Urban Public Health Program, Hunter College of the City University of New York, 425 E 25th street, W 10021, New York, NY 10010, (4) Nutrition and Food Science, Urban Public Health, School of Health Sciences, Hunter College, 425 E. 25th Street, New York, NY 10010, (5) Urban Public Health Program, School of Health Sciences, Hunter College, City University of New York, 425 E. 25th Street, Rm 923-West, New York, NY 10010

Objectives: Older immigrants present a growing challenge to policy makers concerned with optimal resource allocation to promote healthy aging in urban neighborhoods. This paper reports results of the first population-based assessment of health status, access to care, and other health indicators including tobacco use, chronic conditions, physical activity, obesity, and alcohol consumption of Chinese immigrants in NYC as they differ by age and over time. Methods: Data are from an NCI-funded longitudinal study that involved a multi-stage sample of Chinese American households in 2 communities in New York City. In-person interviews were conducted with 2537 adults aged 18-74 years, constituting the largest probability-based sample of Chinese people focused on health in the US. Results: Our study demonstrates sharp differences by age. Older (age 55+) vs younger adults were more likely to be less educated, unemployed, less acculturated, and have annual incomes of less than $10,000. Older vs younger Chinese adults were also more likely to report poor health status (47% vs 29%; p< .001) and significantly more chronic conditions, including diabetes and heart disease. By contrast, smoking prevalence decreased with age and measures of access to care improved. Results of multivariate analyses of factors affecting the bi-directional relationship between age and specific health indicators over time will be presented. Conclusion: As new immigrant populations age, it becomes increasingly important to understand and address the complexity of social determinants of healthy urban aging. Our findings can inform public health practice targeting effective health initiatives among urban immigrant populations over the lifespan.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participants in this session will be able to

• Describe the prevalence of specific health risks among older Chinese Americans
• Assess differences in health risk prevalence by sociodemographic and economic characteristics for older Chinese Americans
• Prioritize key predictors of elevated health risks among older Chinese Americans to help inform policy makers considering optimal resource allocation for successful aging in neighborhoods of diversity.

Keywords: Elderly, Immigrants

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation