[November 8, 2007] The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health released its report on childhood obesity among cities and communities in Los Angeles
County. In the report, 128 cities and communities within the
County are ranked based on their prevalence of childhood obesity (among 5th, 7th, and 9th grade public school students), park area per capita, and level of economic hardship. The report highlights the important relationship between a child's physical health and the physical and social environments in which a child lives.
For more details, please download your copy of the report here: Preventing childhood obesity: the need to create healthy places. A Cities and Communities Health Report, October 2007.
For a map of Los Angeles County cities and communities, please download your copy here: Cities and Communities Map
Epidemiology is the study of health and disease in communities. As a key component, the Epidemiology Unit supports the Mission of the Office of Health Assessment and Epidemiology:
To ensure the availability of high-quality and comprehensive health data on the Los Angeles County population and to facilitate its use for public health assessment, policy development, and program planning and evaluation.
Key activities of the Epidemiology Unit include to:
- Provide epidemiology support and training among Department programs and offices and community partners, especially toward chronic disease prevention and where such capacity does not currently exist.
- Centralize technology, training, and resources for Geographic Information Systems (GIS) within the Department.
- Standardize and make available data on demographics, childhood overweight, hospital discharge diagnoses, health-related quality of life, and other indicators of community health.
- Participate in the conduct of special studies and projects, especially those that integrate efforts among Department programs and offices and community partners.
We invite you to explore the resources available through this Web
site.
