This report provides a summary of the statewide findings from the 2005 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), with highlights of changes from 2003 to 2005. In dozens of easy-to-read tables and graphs, the report features more than 80 health indicators on topics that include asthma, obesity, health insurance and health care access. It shows findings by age, gender, race and ethnicity, income level and health insurance status. The information was collected over two survey periods, allowing the report's authors to note significant changes between 2003 and 2005 in the health of Californians. Conducted every two years, CHIS is the nation's largest state health survey and CHIS data represents the most up-to-date and comprehensive information on the health of Californians. CHIS is conducted by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research in collaboration with the California Department of Public Health, the Department of Health Care Services and the Public Health Institute.

Many Californians are still struggling to reach good health, according to this report from the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), the country's largest population-based state health survey. Entitled "Health of California's Adults, Adolescents and Children: Findings from CHIS 2003 and CHIS 2001," the new report illustrates that while half of the state's adults and adolescents report their health was "very good" or "excellent," more than one in five describe their health as "fair" or "poor." Other measures from the survey show that millions of Californians suffer the effects of ill health, limited access to health care and chronic disease. The report includes new data from CHIS 2003 on a variety of health topics -- including health conditions and limitations, health behaviors, insurance and access to care among many others -- and highlights significant changes from CHIS 2001. The report also details California's progress in achieve the healthy People 2010 objectives, a set of national health objectives created to encourage progress in the nation’s health along key health measures.

This policy brief reports that, according to the 2005 California Health Interview Survey, more than 2.5 million low-income Californians (30%) cannot afford adequate food for their families on a consistent basis. For more than 775,000 adults, this problem is so severe that they frequently reduce the quality of their food intake or go hungry. This policy brief uses data from the 2001, 2003, and 2005 California Health Interview Surveys to detail the changes in food insecurity by county, income levels, and race/ethnicity. It also describes some of the recent changes in terminology used to describe food insecurity issues. Lastly, the brief discusses some policy options that could be used to address the problems described.

In California, chlamydia and gonorrhea are the most common reportable sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Medi-Cal, California's version of the Medicaid program, serves a population that is socio-demographically similar to the general at-risk STD population. While managed care enrollment provides a unique opportunity to encourage a public health approach to disease prevention and health promotion, little is known about the recommendations of STD guidelines and whether primary care providers (PCPs) follow these guidelines in Medi-Cal managed care. This report discusses the findings of a baseline survey of health maintenance organizations (HMOs), medical groups, and primary care physicians in Medi-Cal managed care conducted as part of a Medi-Cal chlamydia quality improvement initiative to assess STD recommendations and practices. Eight California counties with the largest numbers of Medi-Cal beneficiaries and largest numbers of chlamydia cases were surveyed. The survey examined factors likely to impact PCP practices. The findings of this report reflect the delivery of STD care before the initiative was implemented throughout the state.

This report provides a summary of the statewide findings from the 2005 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), with highlights of changes from 2003 to 2005. In dozens of easy-to-read tables and graphs, the report features more than 80 health indicators on topics that include asthma, obesity, health insurance and health care access. It shows findings by age, gender, race and ethnicity, income level and health insurance status. The information was collected over two survey periods, allowing the report's authors to note significant changes between 2003 and 2005 in the health of Californians. Conducted every two years, CHIS is the nation's largest state health survey and CHIS data represents the most up-to-date and comprehensive information on the health of Californians. CHIS is conducted by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research in collaboration with the California Department of Public Health, the Department of Health Care Services and the Public Health Institute.

People living in neighborhoods crowded with fast-food and convenience stores but relatively few grocery or produce outlets are at significantly higher risk of suffering from obesity and diabetes. The authors of this report correlated the responses of nearly 40,000 Californians surveyed in the 2005 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) with the Retail Food Environment Index (RFEI) to determine the prevalence of obesity and diabetes. The Retail Food Environment Index (RFEI) is a ratio of the total number of fast-food restaurants and convenience stores compared to grocery stores and produce vendors near a person's home. The authors found that Californians living in communities with many fast food restaurants ­ rather than grocery stores and other outlets providing more nutritious choices ­ were more likely to have diabetes and/or be obese. The authors also found that although low-income communities are often hit hardest by this phenomenon, the health correlation is seen across all geographic regions, income levels and ethnicities. The report was authored by The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, the California Center for Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA) and PolicyLink. The findings draw upon The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research's California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), a biennial statewide survey of more than 40,000 Californians used by legislators, policy makers, local health departments, state agencies, community organizations, advocacy groups, foundations, researchers, and many others.

This new policy brief from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research presents diabetes prevalence rates among adults by California Assembly and Senate districts. These data are relevant to policymakers and advocates concerned with the impact of chronic conditions on the health of Californians. Estimating the prevalence of diabetes at the local level is increasingly important as rates continue to climb and the state's population continues to age and become more ethnically diverse. Diabetes prevalence rates were estimated using a small-area methodology with data from the 2001 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS 2001), 2000-2002 Current Population Surveys (CPS) and 2000 Census.

This report from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research shows that job-based health insurance coverage -- the backbone of the state's system of health insurance -- is declining. More than 6.6 million Californians under age 65 (more than one in five nonelderly residents) went without insurance for at least part of 2003 and more than 3.7 million lacked health coverage for the entire year. While a majority of Californians are still insured through their jobs or those of relatives, those numbers are declining, specifically among dependents. Pushed by a dramatic 79.1 percent increase in the cost of job-based family coverage for the average worker, enrollment of dependents dropped 4 percentage points for children and 2 percentage points for adults from 2001 to 2003. All income groups and all racial and ethnic groups had significant decreases in job-based insurance. Among children, however, these losses were balanced by a 5 percentage point increase in children's enrollment in Medi-Cal and Healthy Families, leading to an actual increase in children's insurance overall. Other findings from the report include: Nonelderly Latinos and American Indian/Alaska Natives report highest rates of uninsurance. Three out of four uninsured are in working families. Two-thirds of children in Medi-Cal or Healthy Families had at least one parent who was employed. Main reason the uninsured give for not having coverage is "I can't afford it." Those without health insurance were much less likely to have seen a doctor, get vital preventive screenings for cancer, or take medication for high blood pressure.