UCLA Center for Health Policy Research

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 report provides detailed profiles of the health behavior, health status, preventive care, access to services, and demographics for Californians age 65 and over. It examines specific health behaviors such as smoking and drinking habits; health status in relation to heart disease, diabetes, asthma, hypertension, arthritis, skin cancer, difficulty in climbing stairs and emotional problems; preventive care such as cancer screening, bone density testing, hormone replacement therapy and influenza immunization; and access to medical, dental and prescription medication services. Using data culled from the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) 2001 and the 2000 U.S. Census, information is presented for the state, regions, and counties for different racial/ethnic groups, women, those with low incomes, limited English proficiency, and Medi-Cal. The study is the first comprehensive evaluation of the health of California seniors that includes county-level information.