Jacob Rosalez

“It is so gratifying to see how many organizations and people use the California Health Interview Survey. It’s a powerful reminder about how putting information into the hands of the public exemplifies what we set out to do in creating the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.” 

— Ninez A. Ponce, PhD, MPP, UCLA CHPR Director and CHIS Principal Investigator

The 2024 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) Making an Impact report shows our latest research and that of people who use our data — our funders, researchers, health departments, government agencies, journalists, nonprofit organizations, and community groups — who share a goal to make the people of California healthier and stronger.

The report includes:

Publications: From the lingering effects of adversity in childhood to the psychological stress of gun violence to the economic challenges older adults face, CHIS policy briefs, fact sheets, and reports touched on a wide variety of the health care needs of California’s diverse populations.

Annual CHIS Data Release: 50+ new questions made our CHIS data release this year even more timely: Housing discrimination, gambling’s effect on mental health, unintended pregnancy, child gender identity, and teen sexual identity were some of the noteworthy topics.

CHIS Journal Articles and Policy Reports: The use of CHIS data in academic and policy circles has not only expanded our understanding of health disparities and trends but has also played a pivotal role in shaping evidence-based policies that address the unique health care needs of communities across the state.

CHIS in Legislation: CHIS data were used in part of the analysis or background for 30 bills, including AB 2467 (would require coverage for treatment of menopause symptoms) and SB 839 (would require comprehensive coverage for obesity treatments).

Presentations and Events: UCLA CHPR staff used CHIS data in dozens of presentations and events across the country.

Awards: For its two decades of work advancing data equity, the California Health Interview Survey was awarded the Inclusive Voices Award by the American Association for Public Opinion Research in 2024. For her commitment to public health data collection, Ninez Ponce accepted the 2024 Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award from the CDC Foundation and the James F. and Sarah T. Fries Foundation.

Notable numbers

102,000+ queries were made through our free online tools, AskCHIS™ and AskCHIS™ Neighborhood Edition (NE) in 2024.

450+ media stories featured or cited CHIS data in 2024.

More than 100 publications featured or cited CHIS data in 2024 — from peer-reviewed journal articles to policy briefs to government reports to book chapters.

536 total variables and topics and 19 million different estimates that can be explored in AskCHIS™.

Settle in with CHIS Making an Impact 2024 and see the myriad ways our data were used by researchers, government bodies, health advocates, journalists, and others to spotlight health issues and disparities in California and beyond.

The 2023 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) Making an Impact report recognizes not just the work we do, but the people who use our data — our funders and collaborators, researchers, health departments, government agencies, journalists, nonprofit organizations, and community groups — all who aim to make the people of California healthier and stronger.

The report includes:

• Publications: From housing instability to gun violence, mental health to telehealth, you can explore some of the CHIS policy briefs, fact sheets, and reports that shine a light on the unique health and health care needs of California’s diverse populations.
• Annual CHIS Data Release: The 2022 CHIS revealed that Californians experienced an increase in food insecurity, hate incidents, and trouble accessing health care.
• CHIS Preliminary COVID-19 Estimates Dashboard: Find monthly estimates of the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on Californians.
• CHIS Journal Articles and Policy Reports: The use of CHIS data in academic and policy circles has not only expanded our understanding of health disparities and trends but has also played a pivotal role in shaping evidence-based policies that address the unique health care needs of communities across the state.
• CHIS in Legislation: From reducing the burden of medical debt to expanding access to food benefits for all undocumented immigrants, CHIS data are used to impact policy.
• Presentations and Events: UCLA CHPR staff used CHIS data in 60 presentations and events across the world.

Notable numbers

• 107,000+ queries were made through our free online tools, AskCHIS™ and AskCHIS™ Neighborhood Edition (NE) in 2023.
• 465+ media stories featured or cited CHIS data in 2023.
• Nearly 100 publications featured or cited CHIS data in 2023 — from peer-reviewed journal articles to policy briefs to government reports.
• There are currently 391 total variables and topics and 10 million different estimates that can be explored in AskCHIS™.

Take a look at the 2023 CHIS Making an Impact to see how, and by whom, our data were used.

Read the publication

• 2023 CHIS Making an Impact

We study the past and present to understand how to shape the future of health. Whether a researcher or advocate, a legislator or journalist, we all need credible information to do that work, and the right tools to access it. 

The California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) is a source of credible data, and refining it is a constant. We added new questions this year on encounters with police, discrimination in health care settings, gun safety practices home, and more. And we've expanded the tools, such as including a series of questions specifically asked of the Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations for the 2022 Preliminary CHIS COVID-19 Estimates Dashboard.

From our annual CHIS data release to our monthly updates of our 2022 CHIS Preliminary COVID-19 Estimates Dashboard to our lectures and presentations at American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and American Public health Association (APHA) conferences to our publications, we constantly disseminate CHIS data and analysis. 

And people sought out and used that data:

• 90,000+ queries were made through our query tools, AskCHISTM and AskCHISTM Neighborhood Edition.
• 300+ people attended our CHIS data user trainings and 250+ attended our annual data release.
• 300+ media stories and nearly 100 journal articles and government reports featured or cited CHIS data.

Take a look at CHIS 2022 Making an Impact to see how, and by whom, our data were used.
 

Read the Publication:

• Policy Brief: California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) 2022 Making an Impact

The California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) 2021 Making an Impact report highlights the exciting work produced by CHIS in 2021 — from timely COVID-19 data on how Californians are continuing to navigate the pandemic’s conditions and challenges, to the many publications, events, presentations, data trainings, news stories, and more that have brought this data to the public.

2021 also marked a special CHIS milestone: our 20th anniversary. The first-ever CHIS was conducted in 2001, and today CHIS is the nation’s largest state health survey, known for providing current, credible, and usable data to support health policy reforms that positively impact public health.

Highlights in CHIS 2021 Making an Impact include:

• Findings from COVID-19 questions added to the 2020 CHIS
• 2021 CHIS COVID-19 Preliminary Estimates Dashboard
• 2020 CHIS data release
• 20 years of CHIS timeline
• CHIS used in legislation, media, government and non-profit reports and dashboards, community health needs assessments, peer-reviewed journal articles, and much more!

CHIS is the largest state health survey in the nation. Conducted by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, CHIS interviews more than 20,000 households each year and collects health data on adults, adolescents, and children to construct a detailed picture of the health and health care needs of California's large and diverse population.

Legislators, policymakers, local health departments, state agencies, community organizations, advocacy groups, foundations, researchers, and many others use CHIS data to justify programs that fight health threats. Our mission is to democratize data by putting it into the hands of all Californians through accessible tools, publications, and trainings.

Read the Publications:

• Report: California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) 2021 Making an Impact 
• CHIS Making an Impact