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Does life in NYC make them sicker?

BY HERBERT LOWE
Newsday Staff Writer

July 21, 2006

Foreign-born New Yorkers generally arrive healthier than U.S.-born residents living in the city, but they have a hard time staying that way, according to a report being released today.

The city-sponsored report, "The Health of Immigrants in New York City," concludes that foreign-born New Yorkers have a lower infant mortality rate than those U.S.-born, and are less likely to smoke, be obese, be diagnosed with HIV infection and binge drink.

But foreign-born residents succumb to the same poor eating habits and lack of exercise afflicting those born in the U.S., according to the study compiled by the city Department of Health.

Foreign-born New Yorkers, particularly those who don't speak English, also face more challenges in getting health care and get less preventative care, the study concludes.

The Health Department is billing the report as the first comprehensive analysis of foreign-born New Yorkers' health. "They don't seem to come this country very sick," Bonnie Kerker, an assistant health commissioner and report coauthor, said yesterday. "On the other hand, once they get here, they have poor access to care. That's particularly true among Spanish speakers."

The report also found that foreign-born residents are less likely than the U.S.-born to have their blood pressure and cholesterol checked and less likely to receive colon cancer screenings and Pap tests.

Among those with health care coverage, foreign-born adults who speak Spanish are more likely to depend on an emergency room for primary care than those who speak English, the study states.

The report offers four recommendations to the city to help foreign-born residents stay healthy: Improving access to health care, addressing cultural and language barriers, better informing those who are undocumented, and targeting resources to specific at-risk populations.

Francesca Gany, director of the Center for Immigrant Health at New York University, said many of the foreign-born her group helps face these issues. "Nothing surprised me," she said.