By Melanie Wallis
Health reports recently issued by the New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene give insight to the way people live in Lower Manhattan. The reports are categorized into specific areas, in the case of Lower Manhattan, into Greenwich Village/Soho, the Lower East Side/East Village/Chinatown and Chelsea/Clinton. They contain information regarding the main cause of deaths, leading causes of illnesses, peoples’ lifestyle behaviors, preventative treatments and access to medical care. Based on 2000-2001 census data, the information collected is hoped to be helpful for health professionals, providers and residents themselves to tackle health issues within their community.
A section within the report, “Vulnerable Populations,” addresses education, poverty and neighborhood safety. In these factors, the Lower East Side, East Village and Chinatown differ significantly from Greenwich Village and Soho and Chelsea and Clinton. The percentage of residents who did not graduate and are 25 years old or older is 31 percent, double the number in Greenwich Village/Soho and triple the number of non-graduates in Chelsea/Clinton. The Lower East Side region also shows higher statistical ratings for an unsafe neighborhood and people living in poverty. Another part of the Lower East Side/East Village/Chinatown report, “Children’s Health,” reveals that the number of lead poisoning cases is comparatively high to those in New York City as a whole. Positive lead poisoning tests on children under 18 years old on the Lower East Side are also considerably higher than those in the other two adjoining districts, particularly in Greenwich Village/Soho. The report states that lead poisoning “can cause neurological, learning and behavioral problems, and lowered intelligence.”
However, health statistics related to adults are very similar in all three neighborhood areas. The leading cause of premature death is heart disease, followed closely by cancer. The reports state that the primary cause of heart disease is obesity, which has recently received considerable coverage in the national press. Yet the reports show obesity and inactivity in Greenwich Village/Soho and Chelsea/Clinton is four percent lower than the national goal of 20 percent, and the Lower East Side is just above the that average, reporting 21 percent of residents getting no physical activity and being obese. According to a March 10 article in USA Today, the Journal of the American Medial Association stated that in the U.S., 400,000, or 16.6 percent of, deaths in 2000 were due to diet and inactivity. Smoking, however, remains the leading preventable cause of death nationally, with 435,000 deaths, or 18.1 percent of the U.S. total, in 2000.
Lower East Side/East Village/Chinatown, Greenwich Village/Soho and Chelsea/Clinton all report an average of 25 percent of residents who smoke in each area, which is above the city average of 22 percent. Just as many, however, are trying to quit.
The other social behavior looked at in the report was alcohol consumption. Binge drinking is higher within the three districts in comparison to the rest of New York, with almost a quarter of adults having up to three binge-drinking episodes (of five or more drinks) in one month, significantly higher than the New York City average for binge drinking, which is 15 percent of all residents.
Access to healthcare within in all three areas is stated as “poor.” A quarter of the residents in the communities lack a personal doctor. Another concern the report highlighted was lack of health coverage. On average, nine percent of people who needed care didn’t receive it in 2002. The findings for access to healthcare are statistically similar to New York City as a whole.
