Center in the News

Mark Keppler interviews Paulette Cha and Shannon McConville at Public Policy Institute of California about their research report, "Coverage and Care for Undocumented Immigrants: An Update," which uses 2015–2019 CHIS data about undocumented in California. 

"The impact of the pandemic has been especially pronounced for young adults,” Hughes said. “A set of potentially traumatic experiences that occur when we are young may be the root cause of some of the most common, serious and costly health and social challenges facing our state.

24 percent — the share of immigrants living in California who told UCLA researchers they’re “very worried” about falling victim to gun violence. That’s nearly double the rate of the state’s overall population. [California Health Interview Survey]

According to the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, 1 in 10 adults in Los Angeles County has type 2 diabetes, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states 11.3 percent of American adults are diabetic. There is a higher percentage of people who are overweight—with a body-mass index between 25 and 29.9—in Los Angeles (35.9 percent than nationally 35.2 percent). Nevertheless, obesity—when the BMI is 30 and higher—is less prevalent in LA County than America as a whole: 23.5 percent to 28.9 percent.

Californians — both teens and adults — have had a hard time throughout the pandemic, according to a recent UCLA California Health Interview Survey. In 2021, almost a third of adults experienced “serious suicide ideation” compared to about 24% in 2019. And about 26% of teens said that they had not received the counseling they needed in the past year.

UCLA’s California Health Interview Survey highlights an “urgent need for mental health services,” according to a press release from UCLA’s Center for Health Policy Research. The survey was conducted in 2021.

“Our findings show that more people are experiencing serious psychological distress, more people are in need of professional help and more people are reporting moderate or severe impairment in their work, social lives, relationships and daily activities,” Ponce said. Also quoted was Todd Hughes, director of the California Health Interview Survey, which conducted the research: “As the largest and most diverse state, California is often looked at as a model that strives toward health equity,” Hughes said. “However, the data show there is still a need to address some of the inequities in

“Our findings show that more people are experiencing serious psychological distress, more people are in need of professional help and more people are reporting moderate or severe impairment in their work, social lives, relationships and daily activities,” Ponce said.

“Our findings show that more people are experiencing serious psychological distress, more people are in need of professional help and more people are reporting moderate or severe impairment in their work, social lives, relationships and daily activities,” Ponce said.

“California has some of the toughest gun laws in the country,” said Sean Tan, a senior public administration analyst at the research center. “Yet our findings still suggest there is a need for improvements to our laws given continuing concerns over gun violence in the state.”