2012-2013 Adult Race and Ethnicity Health Profiles show continued disparities for Latinos, African-Americans in California

Health disparities persist for California's 9.8 million Latino adults, whose rates for obesity, fair or poor health, food insecurity and uninsurance are much higher than the state average, according to updated Race and Ethnicity Health Profiles that use 2012-2013 California Health Interview Survey data. African-Americans have the highest rates of high blood pressure, obesity and current smoking, the data show.
 
The profiles, published by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, also reveal wide gaps in health between Latino ethnic groups. For example, nearly 40 percent of Salvadorans report fair or poor health, compared to 12.8 percent of South Americans and 30.8 percent of Latinos overall. Similar disparities are seen between Asian ethnic groups, although rates for Asians overall are generally equal to or better than the state average.   Health Profiles provide key health estimates for four major racial groups in the state – white, Latino, African-American and Asian. Health topics range from access to care to health outcomes (such as diabetes and obesity) and health behaviors (such as soda consumption and smoking).   The easy-to-read, one-sheet profiles are also available for individual Latino and Asian ethnic groups, including Mexican (U.S. & non-U.S. born), Salvadoran, Guatemalan, South American, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and South Asian adults.   
Among the findings for California’s estimated 28.2 million adults:   
Latinos and food insecurity
Among all California adults, 16 percent, or nearly 8 million adults, have difficulty reliably putting food on the table in the past year. Salvadoran and non-U.S.-born adult Mexicans have the highest rate, 46.6 percent and 37.2 percent respectively. An estimated 2.7 million adult Latinos overall are food insecure.   
Latinos and soda consumption
Eleven percent of adults drink at least 1 soda per day statewide; Latinos have the highest rate, nearly 17 percent. U.S.-born Mexicans are the biggest consumers among individual ethnic groups, with 1 of 5 downing at least one soda every day.   
African-Americans and obesity, smoking 
Compared to any other single group, African-Americans have the highest rates of high blood pressure (36.9 percent), obesity (36.9 percent), and current smokers (19.5 percent) in the state.  
Filipinos and Koreans and high blood pressure
The diabetes rate of all Asian adults (8.5 percent) is nearly identical to the state (8.6 percent). However, Vietnamese adults have a significantly higher rate than Asians overall, 14 percent. Similarly, Filipino and Korean adults have higher rates of high blood pressure, 35 percent and 30.7 percent respectively, when compared to all Asians and all Californians, 22.8 percent and 27.6 percent.   
Whites and binge drinking
Whites have second-highest rates of high blood pressure and smoking (30.1 percent and 14.3 percent, respectively) and the highest rate of binge drinking (33.6 percent).   

Read the 2012-2013 Adult Race and Ethnicity Health Profiles

 About the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research
The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (CHPR) is one of the nation’s leading health policy research centers and the premier source of health policy information for California. UCLA CHPR improves the public’s health through high quality, objective, and evidence-based research and data that informs effective policymaking. UCLA CHPR is the home of the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) and is part of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. For more information, visit healthpolicy.ucla.edu.