UCLA Center for Health Policy Research Scientist Joelle Wolstein, PhD, MPP, MA, and two of her graduate students, Daniela Alonso and Katia Ayon Lara, used California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) data in the poster they recently presented showing that food insecurity is a serious problem for Los Angeles County Latinos.

Using AskCHIS™, a free online health query system that allows users to search health statistics by county, region, and state, they found that half of low-income Latinos in Los Angeles County experienced food insecurity (50.4%),

They presented their poster, titled “Demographic Drivers of Food Insecurity: A Descriptive Analysis of the Latino Population in Los Angeles County,” at the Food Access Summit at Cal State LA on May 6.

“I teach my students to use AskCHIS™ because it is a fast, accessible, and essential tool that allows them to examine a broad range of health-related topics,” said Wolstein, who is an assistant professor of public health at Cal State LA and a UCLA alumna who earned her doctorate in health services at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.

Data also showed:

• Low-income Latino immigrants with lower levels of English proficiency are more likely to experience food insecurity than those with higher levels of English proficiency (55.1% vs 41.9%).
• Low-income Latino immigrants who avoided public programs like CalFresh due to immigration-related concerns were more likely to experience food insecurity than those who did not (63.1% vs 46.2%).

“In the Cal State LA Master of Public Health program, I use this data to bridge the gap between the classroom and the community, allowing students to zoom in on health trends across L.A.’s Service Planning Areas,” Wolstein said. “It’s about giving students the tools to turn diverse data into meaningful action for urban health.”

Alonso, a second-year MPH student, said, “One of the most significant things I learned was how interconnected food insecurity is with other social issues, including immigration concerns, language barriers, and financial instability, and how these barriers can compound over time to impact people’s overall well-being.”

Something that stood out to Alonso was how strongly immigration-related fears shaped access to food assistance, particularly how low-income Latino immigrants who avoided public programs due to immigration concerns experienced food insecurity at significantly higher rates than those who used public programs.

“This reinforced for me that addressing food insecurity requires more than expanding program eligibility. It also requires building trust and meeting communities where they are,” she said.

“Data like these help identify which communities are experiencing the greatest burden and where resources and interventions are most needed,” Alonso continued. “But data are not just numbers. Data tell the stories and lived experiences of communities in ways that inform decision-making, resource allocation, and advocacy. When data are grounded in community realities, they become a powerful tool for advancing health equity and creating more responsive public health solutions.”

Ayon Lara said that she was interested in the topic of food insecurity among L.A. County Latinos because of what she saw in response to the 2025 raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“I joined a local community organization that delivers food to Latino families experiencing food insecurity due to fear of detention,” Ayon Lara said. “Witnessing the impact of grassroots movements inspired me to further explore food insecurity among Latino adults in Los Angeles County. As a social worker, I often meet people who need assistance finding resources such as food banks and applying for public programs like CalFresh to become food secure.”

Ayon Lara said it was powerful to see how CHIS quantified what she observed as a volunteer.

“I further strengthened my research and data‑collection skills by navigating CHIS and examining how demographic variables intersect with food insecurity among Latinos in Los Angeles County. It was alarming to learn that 1 in 2 low-income Latinos in the county experiences food insecurity,” Ayon Lara said.

“I also learned how to use proxies for immigration‑related questions in CHIS, including variables such as English proficiency, and years lived in the United States. Although we explored a wide range of variables and ensured statistical significance, we ultimately chose to highlight the most meaningful findings to educate the public about this critical public health issue.”