Abstract A013: Patterns of heterolocalism among Chinese immigrants in Philadelphia

Abstract

Abstract Residence in an immigrant enclave has been linked to lower risk for some cancers but higher risk of late-stage diagnosis. In part, these patterns may be explained by the cultural, institutional, and social resources in immigrant enclaves that protect against ill health. Modern communication and transportation can facilitate “exposure” to immigrant enclaves as resource hubs, while individuals may reside in more racially integrated neighborhoods. This process of heterolocalism is underexplored in its relationship to cancer risk. The current study compares residents and non-residents of Chinese immigrant enclaves in Philadelphia with respect to distances traveled for various activities. Participants were 520 Chinese immigrant men and women aged 35-65 y. Interviews conducted 9/18-01/20 included questions on residence and usual locations of five types of activities: employment, grocery shopping, religious services, healthcare, and leisure. Participants were categorized as residing in a traditional (n=167), emerging (n=202), or non-enclave (n=151) neighborhood depending on the co-ethnic density of their census tract and adjacent tracts. We used ArcGIS to geocode participants’ residences and activity locations and conducted spatial analyses to examine distances traveled to these activities. Results indicated that residents of traditional enclaves stayed within or near their residential neighborhoods for grocery shopping, religious services, and leisure activities (median distances all <1 mi), although they traveled further for employment (median 2.5 mi) and healthcare (median 1.9 mi). Based on non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis tests, traditional enclave residents traveled the shortest median distances to all activities (all p<0.001). In contrast, non-enclave residents traveled the furthest for groceries (median 2.9 mi), religious services (median 8.2 mi), and leisure (median 3.2 mi) (all p<0.001). Mapped travel patterns indicate that many non-enclave residents travelled to enclave areas for these activities. Our findings suggest that heterolocalism is a means by which immigrants maintain co-ethnic connections. They also suggest the importance of understanding enclave ‘exposure’ beyond place of residence to clarify the relationships between immigrant enclaves and cancer outcomes. Citation Format: Ella Batterson, Marilyn Tseng, Emily C. Walton, Brian Egleston, Julia Zhong, Minzi Li, Carolyn Fang. Patterns of heterolocalism among Chinese immigrants in Philadelphia [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 15th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2022 Sep 16-19; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr A013.