Ethnicity, economy and environment play strong roles in health inequities among women in LA County

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For Immediate Release:
March 3, 2010

Ethnicity, economy and environment play strong roles in health
inequities among women in LA County
New report on women's health highlights unique health care needs and
challenges

LOS ANGELES - There are large disparities in health, health risks, and
preventable disease among different groups of women in Los Angeles
County, according to a new report titled Health Indicators for Women in
Los Angeles County: Highlighting Disparities by Ethnicity and Poverty
Level. Overall, African American women have the poorest health, but
other racial and ethnic groups each bear disproportionate burdens for
some risk factors and/or diseases. The report, compiled by the
Department of Public Health's Office of Women's Health and Office of
Health Assessment and Epidemiology, contains the latest data on access
to health care, health behavior, social and physical environment, and
incidence and mortality rates. It also shows that women have unique
health care needs reflective of their complex and challenging
socioeconomic status and biological makeup.

"Women often make the health care decisions for their families and
are the primary caregivers when a family member falls ill. Therefore,
the health of women affects not only the individual, but her family and
her community," said Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, Director of Public
Health and Health Officer. "Reports such as this present relevant data
on health inequities among women that will drive policies, programs and
initiatives to address the most pressing needs. By creating awareness of
the impact of health inequities on women, their families and their
communities, strategies can be devised to begin closing those gaps."

Based on recommendations from the 2007 Los Angeles County Women's
Health Policy Summit, the Health Indicators for Women in Los Angeles
County: Highlighting Disparities by Ethnicity and Poverty Level report
also focuses on issues unique to women 65 years and older, women with a
disability, women with different sexual orientations, and the effect of
insurance status on women's health.

"This report is meant to inform key stakeholders, legislators,
decision-makers, and funders on the priority areas of women's health,
and assist in the building of multi-cultural women's health policies,
programs and services," said Ellen Eidem, MS, Director, Los Angeles
County Department of Public Health Office of Women's Health.
"Working together, we can address the inequities in women's health
and ultimately improve the health of all women."

Among the report's findings:
● African American women have far higher mortality rates from many
chronic diseases. For example, whites have a higher incidence of breast
cancer but African Americans have the highest mortality rate. Yet
African Americans report better access to health care and higher
self-rated health. Emerging evidence shows that factors such as racial
inequality, discrimination, and stress may be important contributors to
these and other health disparities.
● Latinas report the poorest self-rated health status among all
ethnic groups. In addition, compared to all other groups, they report
poorer access to care with over a third lacking health insurance, and
40% reporting difficulty accessing medical care. Contributing factors
include a high level of poverty and low level of education. Latinas had
disproportionately higher death rates from diabetes with 31 per 100,000,
compared to 21 per 100,000 for all women in Los Angeles County.
● Asian/Pacific Islander women report low rates of preventive
services and having a regular source of care. Although this has not
translated to poorer health outcomes, it points to the unique cultural
and linguistic barriers that Asian/Pacific Islander women face in
accessing health care and serves as a sign of potential worsening
disparities in the coming years.
● Socio-economic status or poverty level is directly linked to
health outcomes and a significant source of health disparities. Women
living in households less than 100% of the federal poverty level (FPL)
are four times more likely to report fair or poor health status,
compared to women living at or greater than 300% FPL.
● 41% of women aged 65 years and older report living with a
disability.
● Nearly 25% of women 65 years and older living in households with
income less than 200% of the federal poverty level report being food
insecure (inability to afford enough food).
● 70% of lesbian and bisexual women report discrimination due to
sexual orientation. Almost 24% of lesbian and bisexual women reported
being diagnosed with major depression in the past year compared to 11%
of heterosexual women.
● Women with disabilities are more likely to experience violence
and have higher rates of obesity, diabetes and frequent mental distress.

● A lower percentage of uninsured women (54%) had a mammogram in
the past 2 years compared to 68% of women with Medi-Cal and 79% of women
with private insurance.

About the report:
The full 2010 report is available online at
http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/owh/.
The 2007 Health Indicators for Women: Highlighting Disparities by
Ethnicity and Insurance Status report is available at
http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/wwwfiles/ph/programs/owh/FinalDataReport.pdf.


Data sources for the report include the LA County Health Survey, other
Public Health Department programs, California Health Interview Survey,
the LA County Cancer Surveillance Program, and the California Quality of
Life Survey II (Cal-QOL2).

A panel discussion was held on Wednesday, March 3, 2010, highlighting
the good and bad news regarding women's health in Los Angeles County,
as well as strategies, initiatives and programs that focus on reducing
disparities across ethnic and geographic lines. Participants included:
● Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, director of Public Health and
Health Officer for Los Angeles County;
● Marjorie Kagawa-Singer, PhD, RN, professor, UCLA School of
Public Health and Department of Asian-American Studies;
● Vickie Mays, PhD, MSPH, professor, Department of Psychology and
Health Services, UCLA School of Public Health, director of the UCLA
Center on Research, Education, Training and Strategic Communications on
Minority Health Disparities;
● Beatriz Solis, PhD, MPH, director, Healthy Communities South
Region, The California Endowment;
● Rita Singhal, MD, MPH, medical director of the Office of
Women's Health.

The Department of Public Health is committed to protecting and
improving the health of the nearly 10 million residents of Los Angeles
County. Through a variety of programs, community partnerships and
services, Public Health oversees environmental health, disease control,
and community and family health. Public Health comprises more than 4,000
employees and has an annual budget exceeding $750 million. To learn more
about Public Health and the work we do, please visit
http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov, visit our YouTube channel at
http://www.youtube.com/lapublichealth, or follow us on Twitter:
@LAPublicHealth.

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