A new study led by the University of California, Irvine has found that the presence of sociocultural institutions within ethnic enclaves may positively influence the health of immigrant Asian American and Hispanic populations. The research, published in Social Science and Medicine, introduces novel measures to identify connections between majority minority neighborhoods and health outcomes.
The study’s lead author, Brittany Morey (above), associate professor at UC Irvine’s Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health, explained that they used business listings instead of census data to identify organizations promoting cultural and social identity. These included arts, civic, historical, religious, social service, and membership organizations.
Researchers conducted an online audit of 1,627 businesses in 12 cities to determine the density of Asian- or Hispanic-serving sociocultural institutions within census tracts. Their analysis revealed that a higher presence of these institutions was associated with positive health indicators. In majority Asian tracts, a larger percentage of residents had received annual checkups. Both majority Asian and Hispanic tracts with more sociocultural institutions had fewer current smokers.
Morey emphasized that their approach advances the methodology for measuring neighborhood sociocultural institutions by capturing previously overlooked data. The findings suggest that supporting these institutions may help reduce health inequities among racial and ethnic groups.
The study, funded by the National Cancer Institute, involved researchers from multiple institutions, including UC San Francisco, the University of Southern California, and Columbia University. Further research is planned to examine how economic resources, social capital, and the built environment influence community-level well-being in these neighborhoods.
See “Link found between sociocultural institutions in ethnic enclaves and resident health” (August 8, 2024)
