Health of Mexican Immigrants in NYC Pilot Study

Mexicans are the single largest immigrant group in the United States. Roughly half of the 10 million foreign-born Mexicans in this country are undocumented. And here in New York City, the Mexican population has grown faster than any other group. But scant research systematically assesses the physical and mental health or determinants of health of Mexican immigrants here in New York City or in any other US metropolitan area.

Building on our previous decades of work with Mexican immigrants, we at the Center for Community Problem Solving are embarking on and sharing results of the first-ever study of New York City’s fast growing Mexican population – documented and undocumented – with our partners at East Harlem’s Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies (CUES). Our pilot study aims to learn about Mexican immigrants’ health status and access to health care and about associations between their health status and legal status, acculturation, discrimination, and social support.

At diverse venues in communities with high concentrations of Mexican immigrants (Port Richmond, Astoria, Bushwick, Sunset Park, Williamsburg, Elmhurst, North Corona, Jackson Heights, East Harlem, the Lower East Side, Chelsea, and the South Bronx), we are interviewing Mexican immigrants in Spanish and English about their experiences with health, language, social networks, employment, remittances, immigration, the criminal justice system, substance abuse, gambling, and more. We shall use these preliminary findings to shape future research and to design interventions suited to meet the challenges Mexican immigrants face.