The Health of Immigrants to New York City From Mainland China: Evidence From the New York Health Examination and Nutrition Survey

Very little is known about the newest New Yorkers of Chinese heritage, the largest and fastest growing immigrant group in the city. This article compares measures of the health of immigrants to New York from Mainland China to the health of other New Yorkers of Asian heritage along with all other New Yorkers. We did so using the 1,999 subjects in the 2004 New York Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, controlling for age and gender. We found that New Yorkers born in Mainland China have a lower body mass index, a smaller waist circumference, a more sexually conservative lifestyle, highly favorable high-density lipoprotein profiles, and lower rates of herpes II infection. However, they also have higher blood levels of lead, cadmium, and mercury than either reference group. This article provides the first study of the health needs of New York's largest and most rapidly growing immigrant group.