Poor Health Plagues Low-Income, Minority Women in California

Low-income women in California are four times more likely to be uninsured than higher-income women in the state, according to a report by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, the Fresno Bee reports. The San Joaquin Valley has the highest rate of uninsured women in the state at 26.5%.

Erin Peckham, a UCLA researcher and an author of the report, said that low-income women are most affected by health care disparities in California, followed by minority women.

The report found that among low-income women statewide, Hispanics are three times more likely to be uninsured than whites are.

In addition, researchers found that low-income women face higher odds of being obese and having health conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Many women reported that their health conditions affect their quality of life, according to the report.

The findings are based on more than 50,000 telephone interviews during surveys in 2001 and 2005 (Anderson, Fresno Bee, 8/7).