Cancer top cause of death for New Yorkers of Chinese descent

Smoking and cancer are often linked, and alarmingly, that seems to be the case for Chinese New Yorkers.

Cancer was the leading cause of death among Chinese New Yorkers in 2014, who had a significantly higher mortality rate from the disease compared with city residents overall, according to a recent city government report.

Cancer was the cause of death of 33 percent of Chinese Americans in the city in 2014, while 25 percent of New Yorkers across all racial and ethnic groups died of cancer that year.

Fatal diagnoses of lung cancer among Chinese New Yorkers run counter - in the wrong direction - to a citywide trend, too.

While lung cancer deaths declined by 16.4 percent in New York City between 2010 and 2014, they increased 70 percent among Chinese residents, according to the report.

The health report, released last week, is part of a city Department of Health and Mental Hygeine initiative to increase local in areas affected by public health epidemics.

"The smoking rate for Asian-American men in New York City was 25.4 percent in 2015, the highest rate for all major race and ethnic groups in New York City," Dr. Warren Chin, the executive director of the New York-based Chinese American Medical Society (CAMS), told patch.com.

"All of us - physicians, hospitals, health clinics, the health department, community leaders and our elected officials - need to work together to reduce tobacco use in the community."

CAMS is a non-profit, charitable, educational and scientific organization committed to education and community service. Established in 1964, it is the oldest Chinese-American medical society in North America with more than 1,300 members.

The officers and trustees of the governing board are made of up physicians in the New York metropolitan area who volunteer their services.

"The city's new report highlights the pressing need for a culturally competent public health strategy," City Council Member Margaret Chin told China Daily.

"I pledge to work with (New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett) to promote wellness and prevention strategies, in addition to fighting for quality-of- life improvements that help our immigrant communities live longer, healthier lives."

The city government also is working to spread an anti-smoking message in Chinese-language media outlets.

"We need more data like this out there, so we can increase awareness around these major health concerns, and then work together to provide the resources to communities where they are most needed," Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou, whose district includes Manhattan Chinatown, said in a statement.

"I will be sharing the data collected in this report with my colleagues in the state's Asian Pacific American Legislative Task Force so that we can examine the best way to improve the overall health of Chinese-American New Yorkers."

Heart disease (31.1 percent) was the leading cause of death for city dwellers overall and was the second-leading cause of death for Chinese New Yorkers, at 23.9 percent.

Stroke was the third-leading cause of death among New York's Chinese, but the sixth leading cause in the city overall.

Contact the writer at williamhennelly@chinadailyusa.com