Survey Objectives: To collect information on the
health risk behaviors, health status, use of preventive
health services, and access to and utilization of health
care services among Los Angeles County residents.
Parent Survey: The parent interview has been
improved to collect information about the health-related
issues for the child(ren) in the household. A longer
interview was administered to the parents of children
age 0 to 5 years to collect baseline information for use
in further policy research (i.e., Children & Families
First State Commission, Proposition 10 Commission).
Low-Income Survey: A supplemental survey of
low-income persons (at or below 100% of the federal
poverty level) was conducted to better understand the
needs of this population, and its barriers to accessing
health care services.
Sample size: 8,354 adults age 18 years or older,
living in Los Angeles County, were interviewed in the
main survey. A sample of 6,016 interviews were completed
among parents of children age 17 years or less in the
Parent Survey. Increased numbers improve our ability to
analyze the data for various social-demographic
sub-groups and by geographic area. An additional
component, the Low Income Follow-up Survey, was added to
the 1999 Health Survey. This survey consisted of
re-interviews with 1,898 respondents identified from the
Main Adult Survey as having household incomes of less
than 100% of the federal poverty level.
Main Survey- new topics: Violence and injury,
nutrition, adult immunization, oral health, medical
management of chronic diseases, mental health and
emotional well being, and perceptions of community
safety.
Main Survey– improved/expanded topics: Physical
activity, alcohol use, preventive screening practices,
and smoking cessation behaviors.
Parent Survey– new topics: Childhood
immunization, obesity, nutrition, physical activity,
unintentional injury prevention, conditions in the
social and family environment such as parent well-being,
quality of time with children, child care, and housing
security.
Other subpopulations: In addition to young
children, families, and low-income groups, increased
emphasis was given to elderly, racial/ethnic, and/or
linguistic minorities.
For the elderly population, measures of functional
status, need for assistance with activities of daily
living, and age-specific health practices were included.
For the ethnic populations, use of non-traditional,
culturally-specific health care products or services and
experiencing language as a barrier to services were
included.
Meeting the 1115 Waiver and Ambulatory Care Planning
Goals: Questions on access to health care, health
insurance, and health services utilization will assist
the Ambulatory Care Planning process, the evaluation of
the 1115 Waiver Demonstration Project’s effect on access
to care, and the health of residents who rely on the
public health care system. In order to evaluate the
impact of the 1115 Waiver, many of the content areas for
the survey are identical to those of 1997. These include
measures such as having a regular source of care, health
insurance status, and utilization of preventive health
services.
Meeting Department of Health Services (DHS) Goals:
The survey meets multiple information needs of DHS
programs, as evidenced in the funding contributed by
state-funded programs (e.g. Tobacco Control Program,
Family Health Programs). Many prevention-oriented
programs involving maternal, child, and family health,
chronic and acute disease prevention, health promotion,
HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases, all require
population-based, health risk information on which to
base planning and evaluation of interventions, outreach,
health care delivery, and program provision.
Meeting Broader Community Needs: The process for
development of the 1999 Survey involved broad input
from key persons and organizations throughout the
County. Representatives from community-based
organizations, the academic community, and other County
Departments provide assurance that critical information
needs are addressed. In addition, the data collected was
based on national benchmarks, such as Healthy People
2000 and 2010, to facilitate comparison of the health of
Los Angeles County residents with that of the nation.
Tobacco Policy: Through a supplemental review,
the public’s views on tobacco control policies, the
tobacco industry’s role in promoting smoking, and other
factors that influence the use of tobacco products are
examined. Additional questions provide information to
evaluate the effectiveness of tobacco control activities
in the County.
Geographic Analysis: To allow for more
flexibility in analyzing the results by specific
geographic area, the respondent's nearest cross-street
was used to determine service planning area, health
district, supervisorial district.
Funding: Support for the Survey was provided by
the California Department of Health Services, the Health
Care Financing Administration, the Los Angeles County
Department of Public Social Services an the Los Angeles
County Medicaid Demonstration Project.
Topics of 1999 Health Survey
