The Health of California’s Adults, Adolescents and Children: Findings from CHIS 2005 and 2003

September 29^th, 2008

The Health of California's Adults, Adolescents and Children: Findings from CHIS 2005 and 2003 has been published by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

 

This report examines the results of the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) for the years 2003 and 2005 for across the state of California.  The CHIS reports on key indicators of health status, health behavior and access to healthcare.  Some of the topics include: diabetes, obesity, heart disease, cancer, consumption of fruits and vegetables, consumption of fast food , average number of days walked, biked to school for children, time spent watching T.V., source of regular health care, incidence of prescription drug usages, and many others.  Many indicators are examined across age, race/ethnicity, gender and income levels (from below federal poverty level, to 3 times above the federal poverty level.).  In addition, comparisons are presented for the years 2003 and 2005.

 

Selected Findings:

 

• The probability that an adult in poverty over age 18 is to be diagnosed in their lifetime with diabetes in California is twice that of an adult at more than 3 times the federal poverty level (pg. 9).
• In 2005, 11% of women in California reported binge drinking (pg. 23).
• Out of all ethnic/national groups in California, Korean women were least likely in 2005 to get a mammogram (57% receiving mammograms) compared to the group most likely to get one, African-Americans (a rate of 81%) (pg. 29).
• About 86.4% of California adults have a regular source of medical care; foreign born Central American adults had the lowest incidents of regular medical care (74%) compared to Whites (90% have a regular source of medical care) (pg. 35).

2008 County Profiles of Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in California

September 15^th, 2008

2008 County Profiles of Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in California has been published by California Food Policy Advocates

 

This interactive map presents information on food insecurity, food and nutrition programs (food stamps, school meal programs, WIC-or Women, Infants and Children food assistance programs) as well as some health indicators (low birth weight babies, overweight, obese adults and diabetic adults) across 58 counties in California.  Numbers of those eligible for food and nutrition programs are given, as well as numbers and percentages of people eligible however not participating in the programs.  A ranking of counties is given with these indicators, showing how each county compares to each other as well as to the state.

 

 

Selected Findings:

 

• L.A. County ranks in the bottom 10 counties in the state in terms of 7th graders with unhealthy aerobic capacity (42.3%).
• A little over 410,000 persons in L.A. County have type II diabetes.
• L.A. County has 2,168 deaths attributable to diabetes annually.
• Nearly three quarters of a million people in L.A. County (723,000) are eligible for the Food Stamp Program however do not participate.
• Over 1 million students in L.A. County are eligible for federal free lunch programs.
• L.A. County loses about $1billion dollars in federal funds annually due to the combined underutilization of the Food Stamp Program and the School Breakfast Program.
• 740,000 adults in low-income households in L.A. County suffer food insecurity.

Workforce Housing Scorecard for Los Angeles

September 8^th, 2008

Workforce Housing Scorecard for Los Angeles has been published by the Los Angeles Business Council.

This publication by the Los Angeles Business Council looks at housing supply, affordability and density in L.A. County in relation to the County's changing demographics and job growth.  Some of the issues examined include: the impact of housing affordability on employee retention, new housing units produced in relation to increased population growth, ratio of new housing to new jobs, the impact of housing prices on job and population growth, the impact of housing density and locations on future commutes, and more.   A scorecard is presented that includes the 88 cities in L.A. County and 7 area planning commissions of the City of L.A. ranking these places on the following measures: total job growth, total housing growth, jobs to housing ratio, and change in housing density.  Data is used to look at history (from 1990) as well as future trends to 2035.

Selected Findings:

• Between the years 1990 and 2007, L.A. County gained a little over 1.4 million people, but added only a little over 190,000 housing units over the same period (pg. 7).
• About two-thirds, or 65% of new housing in L.A. County between the years 1990 and 2007 was built in four cities: Los Angeles, Lancaster, Palmdale and Santa Clarita (pg.19).
• The Los Angeles-Long Beach metropolitan area was found to be the least affordable area in the nation in 2007in terms of housing costs (pg. 5).
• Over 1.4 million commuters enter and leave L.A. County for work every day (pg. 13).
• More than a quarter of a million (or about 280,000) homes need to be constructed in L.A. County between 2006 and 2014 just to keep up with population growth (pg. 14).