The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research has updated its health data query tool, AskCHIS™ Neighborhood Edition (NE), with new topics and 2020 small area estimates that provide specific health and demographic data on Californians at progressively finer levels of magnification: legislative district, county, city, ZIP code, and census tract.
Drawing upon the responses of more than 20,000 households in California interviewed each year by the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), AskCHIS NE provides data on various health topics: chronic conditions such as asthma and diabetes, delays in receiving medical care, health and mental health status, physical activity, food insecurity, and more.
The new update, which includes data from the 2019–2020 CHIS, features two new indicators related to smoking: secondhand smoke exposure and flavored tobacco use. Using a sophisticated modeling technique called Small Area Estimation (SAE), AskCHIS NE provides local health departments, policymakers, legislators, community organizations, researchers, and other stakeholders the data needed to target health interventions based on a neighborhood’s specific needs.
“The AskCHIS NE updates include data collected during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has heightened longstanding inequities in health and health care,” said Todd Hughes, CHIS director. “Now more than ever, CHIS is proud to provide access to reliable data to support decision-making and inform policy at all levels.”
Through AskCHIS NE's easy-to-use data visualization tools and intuitive interface, users have the power to:
- VISUALIZE: Create, export, and share maps, charts, and histograms.
- NARROW: Compare key health indicators at the hyper-local level including legislative districts, cities, ZIP codes, and census tracts.
- COMBINE: Combine locations to build health estimates for custom geographies.
“The ability to dig deep to help focus policy action is AskCHIS NE’s superpower,” Hughes said.
Data for the CalEnviroScreen, a mapping tool that helps identify California communities that are most affected by many sources of pollution and where people are often especially vulnerable to pollution's effects, will be updated in August 2022.
Register for a free account at askchisne.ucla.edu.
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.