UCLA Releases Fact Sheets on Californians’ Health by Ethnicity, Race

A series of new fact sheets by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research detail different health statistics of California residents by their ethnicity and race, the Los Angeles Examiner reports.

Details of Report

The fact sheets include health statistics for five major ethnic and racial groups in California:

• American Indians/Alaska Natives;
• Asians;
• Blacks;
• Caucasians; and
• Latinos.

Data from the report were derived from the 2011-12 California Health Interview Survey and cover a range of health issues, such as insurance status and nutrition (Wulffson, Los Angeles Examiner, 6/17).

Findings

Overall, about 27% of Californians ages 18 to 64 were uninsured for all or part of the year before the survey and about 12% were enrolled in Medi-Cal, California's Medicaid program. Among the five major ethnic and racial groups:

• 24% of American Indians/Alaska Natives were uninsured and 18.5% were enrolled in Medi-Cal;
• About 20% of Asians were uninsured and about 8% were enrolled in Medi-Cal;
• About 23% of blacks were uninsured and about 22% were enrolled in Medi-Cal;
• 18% of Caucasians were uninsured and about 6% were enrolled in Medi-Cal; and
• About 39% of Latinos were uninsured and about 17% were enrolled in Medi-Cal.

While about 50% of Californians had employer-based health insurance, the study found that:

• About 42% of American Indians/Alaska Natives in the state had such coverage;
• About 60% of Asians in the state had such coverage;
• About 44% of blacks in the state had employer-based coverage;
• About 62% of Caucasians in the state had such coverage; and
• About than 40% of Latinos in the state had such coverage.

Meanwhile, more than 25% of Latinos had no usual source of health care, compared with about 18% of all California residents who lacked a usual health care source.

In addition, nearly 30% of American Indians/Alaska Natives in the state said they had delayed obtaining prescription drugs or medical care in the past year, compared with about 22% of Californians overall.

While more than 6.8 million Californians -- about 25% of the adult population -- were obese, researchers found that fewer than 10% of Asians in the state were obese, compared with more than 35% of blacks and American Indians/Alaska Natives. In addition, about 25% of Californians reported having been diagnosed with high blood pressure (UCLA fact sheet, 6/17).