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Residential Segregation and Latino, Black and White Mortality in New York City

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Abstract

Although racial segregation is associated with health status, few studies have examined this relationship among Latinos. We examined the effect of race/ethnic group concentration of Latinos, blacks and whites on all-cause mortality rates within a highly segregated metropolitan area, New York City (NYC). We linked NYC mortality records from 1999 and 2000 with the 2000 U.S. Census data by zip code area. Age-adjusted mortality rates by race/ethnic concentration were calculated. Linear regression was used to determine the association between population characteristics and mortality. Blacks living in predominantly black areas had lower all-cause mortality rates than blacks living in other areas regardless of gender (1616/100,000 vs. 2014/100,000 for men; 1032/100,000 vs. 1362/100,000 for women). Amongst whites, those living in predominantly white areas had the lowest mortality rates. Latinos living in predominantly Latino areas had lower mortality rates than those in predominantly black areas (1187/100,000 vs.1950/100,000 for men; 760/100,000 vs. 779/100,000 for women). After adjustment for socioeconomic conditions, whites, older blacks, and young Latino men experienced decreasing mortality rates when living in areas with increasing similar race/ethnic concentrations. Increasing residential concentration of blacks is independently associated with lower mortality in older blacks; similarly, increasing residential concentration of Latinos and whites is associated with lower mortality in young Latino men and whites, respectively.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Veteran's Administration Los Angeles Health Services Research and Development Fellowship. There exist no possible conflicts of interest.

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Correspondence to Sanae Inagami MD, MPH.

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Inagami and Asch are with the Veterans Affairs, VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care System, Division of General Internal Medicine (111G), 11301 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90073, USA; Borrell is with the Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health, 600 West 168th Street, PH 18-331, New York, NY 10032, USA; Wong, Shapiro, and Asch are with the Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 911 Broxton Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1736, USA; Fang is with the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Hwy. NE, MS K-47, Atlanta, GA 30341-3717, USA; Asch is with the RAND Health, Division of General Internal Medicine (111G), 11301 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90073, USA.

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Inagami, S., Borrell, L.N., Wong, M.D. et al. Residential Segregation and Latino, Black and White Mortality in New York City. JURH 83, 406–420 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-006-9035-8

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