Developmental and autism screening through 2-1-1: reaching underserved families.

Background: Developmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), are increasing in prevalence. Early identification is necessary for early intervention, which is critical for reducing challenges and lifetime costs, especially for ASDs. Because not all children have equal access to developmental and autism screening through primary care settings, nontraditional methods are needed to reach underserved populations.

Starting school healthy and ready to learn: using social indicators to improve school readiness in Los Angeles County.

Background: School readiness is an important public health outcome, determined by a set of interdependent health and developmental trajectories and influenced by a child's family, school, and community environments. The same factors that influence school readiness also influence educational success and health throughout life.

Context: A California cigarette tax ballot initiative (Proposition 10) created new resources for children aged 0 to 5 years and their families statewide through county-level First 5 commissions, including First 5 LA in Los Angeles County.

Differences in individual-level terrorism preparedness in Los Angeles County.

Background: Increasing individual preparedness for disasters, including large-scale terrorist attacks, is a significant concern of public health planners. As with natural disasters, individuals can help protect their health and safety by preparing for the emergency situation that may follow a terrorist event. Our study describes variations in preparedness among the population of Los Angeles County after the September 11, 2001 and subsequent anthrax attacks.

How far to the hospital? The effect of hospital closures on access to care.

Do urban hospital closures affect health care access or health outcomes? We study closures in Los Angeles County between 1997 and 2003, through their effect on distance to the nearest hospital. We find that increased distance to the closest hospital increases deaths from heart attacks and unintentional injuries. This finding is robust to several sensitivity checks.

Will public health's response to terrorism be fair? Racial/ethnic variations in perceived fairness during a bioterrorist event.

Objectives: Public health departments' effectiveness during catastrophic bioterrorism will require trust on the part of diverse communities. This study describes variations in perceptions that the public health system will respond fairly to one's needs in a bioterrorist event, regardless of race/ethnicity, income, or other characteristics.

Methods: Using the Los Angeles County Health Survey, a random-digit, population-based, telephone survey, we conducted multivariate logistic regression of race/ethnicity on perceived fairness, adjusting for demographic factors and perceived neighborhood safety.

Prevalence and predictors of food insecurity among low-income households in Los Angeles County.

Objectives: To assess the prevalence and identify the predictors of food insecurity among households in Los Angeles County with incomes below 300% of the federal poverty level.

Methods: The Six-Item Short Form of the US Department of Agriculture's Household Food Security Scale was used as part of a 1999 county-wide, population-based, telephone survey.

Results: The prevalence of food insecurity was 24.

Physical inactivity and overweight among Los Angeles County adults.

Objectives: The present study examines sociodemographic, health status, health behavioral, and health-related self-perception correlates of physical inactivity in a large, multiethnic urban population.

Methods: A random-digit-dialed telephone survey of a representative sample of 8353 Los Angeles County adults aged >/= 18 years was conducted between September 17, 1999 and December 31, 2000. Data were analyzed to assess the prevalence and identify independent correlates of physical inactivity, defined as <10 minutes of continuous physical activity weekly ("sedentary").

Disaggregating data on Asian and Pacific Islander women to assess cancer screening.

Background: Although incidence of cancer is increasing among Asian-American and Pacific-Islander (AAPI) women, their low cancer screening rates are inadequately addressed. Furthermore, the traditional approach of studying the diverse AAPI nationalities as one group hides important intra- and inter-group ethnic differences in cancer screening, as well as lack of representativeness because the surveys are not administered in any AAPI language. To address these problems, this study compared cancer screening rates among particular AAPI groups and non-AAPIs living in an ethnically diverse region.

Prevalence of childhood asthma and associated morbidity in Los Angeles County: impacts of race/ethnicity and income.

Racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in the prevalence of childhood asthma have been reported nationally but few population-based studies in local and regional settings have been reported. To assess variation in the prevalence of childhood asthma and associated morbidity across race/ethnic and income groups in the Los Angeles County population, we analyzed data on a random sample of 6004 children (< or = 17 years old) enrolled in a countywide health survey from September 1999 through April 2000. The prevalence of childhood asthma was highest in blacks (15.

Sexual orientation and variation in physical and mental health status among women.

Objective: To assess and compare the physical and mental health status of women of differing sexual orientation within a population-based sample.

Methods: We used a population-based telephone survey performed using random digit dialing techniques. Our study population was drawn from the 1999 Los Angeles County Health Survey and included women age 18-64 years who reported their sexual orientation (98%, n = 4135).