Policy brief (UCLA Center for Health Policy Research)最新文献

In California, nearly 2.8 million adults and children (8%) had active asthma in 2003. Of Californians with active asthma, 890,000 are children (ages 0-17) and 1.8 million are adults (age 18 and above). The prevalence of active asthma varies by racial and ethnic group, with racial and ethnic minority groups affected more adversely by asthma. They are more likely to go to the emergency department for asthma care, miss more school and work days because of asthma, and have poorer health status. They are also more likely to lack access to health care and to live in conditions associated with asthma exacerbations. Among California children, the prevalence of active asthma varies by racial and ethnic groups-with the highest prevalence among African Americans (17%) and American Indians/Alaska Natives (17%), followed by whites (10%), Latinos (7%) and Asians (7%; Exhibit 1). Among adults, American Indians/Alaska Natives have the highest prevalence of active asthma (13%), followed by African Americans (10%), whites (9%), Asians (5%) and Latinos (5%). The National data similarly show that both African Americans and American Indians have higher current asthma prevalence rates than non- Hispanic whites.

In California, 2.8 million children and adults (900,000 children and 1.9 million adults) suffer from active asthma. One out of six of these Californians (16%) lives below the poverty level. Low-income adults and children with active asthma disproportionately bear the burden of asthma. They experience more frequent symptoms, go to the emergency department (ED) more often for asthma care, miss more school and have poorer health status. They also are more likely to lack access to health care and to live in conditions associated with asthma exacerbations. Using data from the 2003 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS 2003), this policy brief examines the burden of asthma among low-income asthma sufferers as well as some opportunities to reduce the burden for these asthma sufferers. Active asthma refers to people who have been diagnosed with asthma and who reported they still have asthma and/or experienced an asthma attack in the past year.

Many Californians with asthma are exposed to environmental conditions in the home-such as the presence of tobacco smoke and furry pets-which can trigger asthma symptoms. In addition, many who have not been diagnosed with asthma experience asthma-like breathing problems when exposed to these same indoor conditions. Nearly 1.9 million California adults and 890,000 children have active asthma (7.3% of all adults and 10.4% of all children). Among those with active asthma, 970,000 adults and 300,000 children suffered from symptoms at least monthly in 2003. An additional 2.6 million California adults and 810,000 children who had not been diagnosed with asthma suffered from asthma-like symptoms such as wheezing in 2003 (11.1% of all adults and 9.3% of all children). A Publication of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research Using results from the 2003 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS 2003), this policy brief examines the association of asthma symptoms and asthma-like breathing problems with smoking and the presence of tobacco smoke in the home, and with the presence of dogs and cats in the home. This brief presents the prevalence of monthly asthma symptoms among adults and children with active asthma and the prevalence of wheezing and other asthma-like symptoms in the previous year among those not diagnosed with asthma. Active asthma refers to being diagnosed with asthma and also reporting that one still has asthma and/or that one experienced an asthma attack in the past year. There are a number of known environmental triggers in the home, including environmental tobacco smoke, animal dander, dust mites, cockroaches, molds and pollens. This brief discusses those triggers for which CHIS 2003 collected useful data. Other triggers have also been found to significantly contribute to breathing problems.

Health insurance coverage is a critical resource that facilitates access to the health care system and the array of health services women require across their lifespan. This policy brief provides an overview of the health insurance coverage of nonelderly women in California, based on data from the 2003 and 2001 California Health Interview Surveys (CHIS 2003, CHIS 2001).

In California, 4.5 million adults, adolescents and children had been diagnosed with asthma (13% of all Californians) in 2003, up from four million (12%) in 2001. This increase is consistent in younger children, adolescents and adults (Exhibit 1). Nationally, 10% of the population has been diagnosed with asthma. Among the 4.5 million Californians diagnosed with asthma, more than 2.5 million suffered from an asthma attack or other asthma symptoms in 2003 (56% of those diagnosed). An additional 3.4 million Californians who have not been diagnosed with asthma-10% of all Californians-suffer from asthma-like breathing problems. Some of these respondents might have other respiratory conditions, while others are likely to have asthma that has not been diagnosed. Based on data from the 2003 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS 2003), this policy brief examines the prevalence of lifetime asthma diagnoses and asthma symptoms, as well as the prevalence of asthma-like breathing problems in the absence of an asthma diagnosis. Where possible, it also describes how prevalence has changed since 2001, based on data from CHIS 2001. Lifetime prevalence refers to people who have ever been diagnosed with asthma by a doctor. The prevalence of asthma symptoms refers to people who report having been diagnosed with asthma and who also reported experiencing an asthma attack or other asthma symptoms in the past year. The prevalence of asthma-like symptoms refers to people who have not been diagnosed with asthma but who experienced breathing problems, such as wheezing or whistling in the chest in the past year.

Six and one-half million Californians were uninsured for all or some of 2005, a number that is as large as the combined populations of nine other states. The number of uninsured represented one in five children and nonelderly adults, a rate that was slightly lower than in 2003 due to California's tight labor markets and expanding enrollment and retention in California's public coverage programs for children. These marginal improvements are unlikely to continue unabated given the instability of employment-based insurance coverage in the face of rising costs. In this policy brief, we compare insurance coverage over time using the California Health Interview Surveys conducted in 2001, 2003 and 2005. We look at the type of coverage over the past 12 months for both children and nonelederly adults.

This policy brief presents information about the walking habits of California adults based on data from the 2003 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS 2003). We examine the prevalence of regular walking and no walking by socio-demographic and neighborhood characteristics. Regular walking is defined as walking on at least five separate occasions for a combined total of at least 150 minutes in the previous seven days. This definition is based on the recommendation that adults engage in moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes on five or more days of the week. Occasional walking is defined as walking at least once for 10 or more minutes in the previous seven days. No walking is defined as not walking at least once for 10 or more minutes in the previous seven days.