Center in the News

Without workers, no amount of funding or tweaking mental health policies will be enough, says Vickie Mays, a psychology professor and director of the BRITE Center for Science, Research, and Policy (Bridging Research Innovation, Training, and Education) at UCLA. She says the state and federal government need to increase mental health training programs and encourage more students to enter the field.

Nearly one-third of California adults say they would decline any additional COVID-19 vaccine doses, this is according to a UCLA study released this month. But not only are they saying they'll pass, they actually are, 22% of people who received the primary vaccine series have not received additional boosters.

In this Q&A with Ninez Ponce of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, [...] we discuss their contribution to the issue, "Making Communities More Visible: Equity-Centered Data to Achieve Health Equity," co-authored with Riti Shimkhada, of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

The truth, which has repeatedly been demonstrated over the course of the pandemic, is one of the key takeaways from the 2023 California Health Interview Survey of more than 5,000 adults, teenagers and children across the state conducted in March and April.

UCLA has been tracking behavioral trends for years through its annual California Health Interview Survey, the largest state health survey in the nation. It includes questions about sexual activity. In 2021, the survey found, the number of young Californians ages 18 to 30 who reported having no sexual partners in the prior year reached a decade high of 38%.

The annual California Health Interview Survey published by UCLA found that more people, especially young people, are considering suicide compared with pre-pandemic.

The COVID pandemic took a heavy toll on Americans’ psyche. The annual California Health Interview Survey published by UCLA found that more people, especially young people, are considering suicide compared with pre-pandemic. At the same time, a quarter of Californian adults needed professional treatment for emotional or mental health issues or for alcohol or drug abuse. That also was an increase from pre-pandemic.

The survey, published by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, found that California adults who have not completed the primary vaccine series against COVID-19 did not do so for several reasons: 48% think a vaccine for COVID is unnecessary, 45% worried about side effects, and 44% think the vaccine was developed too quickly.

UCLA's California Health Interview Survey found the number of young Californians ages 18 to 30 who reported having no sexual partners in the previous year reached a decade high of 38%. In 2011, 22% of young people reported having no sexual partners during the previous year, and the percentage climbed fairly steadily as the decade progressed.

UCLA's California Health Interview Survey found the number of young Californians ages 18 to 30 who reported having no sexual partners in the previous year reached a decade high of 38%. In 2011, 22% of young people reported having no sexual partners during the previous year, and the percentage climbed fairly steadily as the decade progressed.