Ethnic Enclaves and Metabolic Syndrome in Chinese Immigrants in Philadelphia

Ethnic enclaves, neighborhoods with high ethnic concentrations, may have a protective effect on their residents’ health outcomes, but studies on their associations with cardiometabolic risk in Asian communities are inconsistent. We examined whether ethnic enclave residence was associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS) in a longitudinal sample of 516 Chinese immigrant adults in Philadelphia. Participants were recruited from three types of neighborhoods: established enclaves, emerging enclaves and non-enclave neighborhoods. At baseline (9/18 − 1/20) and follow-up (8/21 − 4/22), research staff conducted interviews and anthropometric and blood pressure measurements and collected fasting blood samples for glucose, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein levels. We used logistic regressions estimated by generalized estimating equations to estimate odds ratios (OR) for associations of enclave residence with MetS and its components, and differences in change over time in models stratified on neighborhood type. Overall, no consistent associations between enclave residence and MetS or MetS components emerged. Over an average follow-up of 2.6 years, the occurrence of MetS increased significantly in the overall sample. In stratified analyses, the increase was significant only among non-enclave residents, but interaction p-values indicated no significant differences across neighborhood type. Our findings suggest that ethnic enclaves are not ‘monolithically beneficial’. A more nuanced understanding of the resources that different kinds of enclaves offer and of how Chinese immigrants interact with these enclave resources is needed to inform and support effective investment in immigrant communities.