2021

AskCHIS Neighborhood Edition releases new data and vulnerability indices to assist with COVID-19


The UCLA Fielding School of Public Health's UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, led by Dr. Ninez Ponce, releases new data to assist with COVID-19.

AskCHIS Neighborhood Edition

15.9% of adults in California have been diagnosed with asthma.

26.8% are obese.

In Los Angeles County, that number is 27.9%.

Compton? 36.4%.

Whether you’re a policymaker interested in understanding the health needs of your diverse legislative district, a community organization advocating for a healthy food program, a journalist looking to uncover factors that lead to COVID-19 risk, or a concerned citizen, AskCHIS Neighborhood Edition (NE)™ has your data needs covered. 

The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research’s California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), led by Dr. Ninez Ponce, has unveiled new updates to AskCHIS NE, a data dissemination and visualization platform that provides health estimates at sub-county geographic regions in California. With AskCHIS NE, you can access and visualize reliable health data at census tract, ZIP code, city, county, and legislative district levels.

Drawing upon the responses of more than 20,000 Californians interviewed each year by CHIS, AskCHIS NE covers a wide range of health topics — from chronic conditions like asthma and diabetes, access to medical care and mental health services, physical activity, food insecurity, and so much more. The new update, which includes data from the 2018 CHIS, includes several new indicators that are modeled small area estimates from CHIS to our new 2018 data: adults without dental insurance, adult dental visits in the past year, adults with teeth in fair/poor condition, adults using e-cigarettes in the last 30 days, and adults performing volunteer work or community service in the past year.

In addition to the new indicators, this release includes the following vulnerability indices at the census tract level only:

  • Preexisting Health Vulnerability Index: captures risk of COVID-19 infection and death due to preexisting health conditions. This index comprises six different 2016 AskCHIS NE variables: adult diabetes, obesity, heart disease, health status, psychological distress, and food insecurity. This index was featured in a recent UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge study.
  • Area Deprivation Index: based on a measure created by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). It allows for rankings of neighborhoods by socioeconomic disadvantage in a region of interest.
  • Healthy Places Index: created for the Public Health Alliance of Southern California. This index combines 25 community characteristics into a single indexed score.
  • Social Vulnerability Index: created for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help public health officials and emergency response planners identify and map communities that will most likely need support before, during, and after a hazardous event.

AskCHIS NE is one of several free online tools offered by CHIS. AskCHIS™, our online health query system that allows you to quickly search for health statistics by county, region, and state, is also used by policymakers, media, community organizations, and researchers.

“Last year, more than 100,000 queries were run in AskCHIS and AskCHIS NE. That’s nearly 275 queries per day,” says Todd Hughes, director of the California Health Interview Survey. "Now, more than ever, we need access to reliable data to identify COVID-19 vulnerabilities, protect the most at-risk communities, support decision-making, and inform policy."

By Tiffany Lopes


The UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, founded in 1961, is dedicated to enhancing the public's health by conducting innovative research, training future leaders and health professionals from diverse backgrounds, translating research into policy and practice, and serving our local communities and the communities of the nation and the world. The school has 631 students from 26 nations engaged in carrying out the vision of building healthy futures in greater Los Angeles, California, the nation and the world.

Faculty Referenced by this Article

Dr. Ninez Ponce
Ninez Ponce
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Arturo Vargas Bustamante
Arturo Vargas Bustamante
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Joann Elmore
Joann G. Elmore
Health Policy and Management
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Michael Ong
Michael Ong
Health Policy and Management
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Gerald Kominski
Gerald Kominski
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Jonathan Fielding
Jonathan Fielding
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. John Lu
Z. John Lu
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Anthony Schiff
Anthony Hunter Schiff
Health Policy and Management
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Burt Cowgill
Burt Cowgill
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Naomi Zewde
Naomi Zewde
Health Policy and Management
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Galper, Michael
Michael Galper
Health Policy and Management
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Paul Chung
Paul Chung
Health Policy and Management
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Yusuke Tsugawa
Yusuke Tsugawa
Health Policy and Management
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Jody Heymann
Jody Heymann
Epidemiology Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Aria Fallah
Aria Fallah
Health Policy and Management
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Avram Kaplan
Avram Kaplan
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Dylan Roby
Dylan Roby
Health Policy and Management
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Jean Balgrosky
Health Policy and Management
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Clifford Ko
Clifford Ko
Health Policy and Management
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Isomi Miake-Lye
Isomi Miake-Lye
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Risha Gidwani
Risha Gidwani
Health Policy and Management
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Jack Needleman
Jack Needleman
Health Policy and Management
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Barbara Berman
Health Policy and Management
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Aronberg, Sandra
Sandra Aronberg
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Alice Kuo
Alice Kuo
Health Policy and Management
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Emmeline Chuang
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Elizabeth (Becky) Yano
Elizabeth (Becky) Yano
Health Policy and Management
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Freund, Deborah
Deborah Anne Freund
Health Policy and Management
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Arlene Fink
Health Policy and Management
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Mark Litwin
Health Policy and Management
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Leah Vriesman
Leah Vriesman
Health Policy and Management
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Kadiyala, Srikanth
Srikanth Kadiyala
Health Policy and Management
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Roshan Bastani Headshot
Roshan Bastani
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Felicia Hodge
Felicia Hodge
Health Policy and Management
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Corrina Moucheraud
Corrina Moucheraud
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. William McCarthy
William J. McCarthy
Health Policy and Management
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Julie A. Elginer

EMPH Academic Program Director with expertise in healthcare marketing, finance, and reproductive health policy, teaching in the EMPH, MPH, MHA program

Health Policy and Management
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Ron D. Hays
Ron D. Hays

@UCLA since 1997

Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Jennifer Wortham
Jennifer Wortham
Health Policy and Management
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Brennan Spiegel
Health Policy and Management
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Diana Hilberman
Diana Hilberman
Health Policy and Management
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David Hayes-Bautista
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Paul Fu, Jr.
Paul Fu, Jr.
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Kristen Choi
Kristen Choi
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Kenneth Wells
Kenneth Wells
Health Policy and Management
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Comanor, Bill
William Comanor
Health Policy and Management
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Robert Brook
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Xi Zhu
Xi Zhu
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Beth Glenn
Beth Glenn
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Stephanie Taylor
Stephanie L. Taylor

Nationally recognized health services researcher and sociomedical scientist with 25+ years' experience in effectiveness and implementation research.

Health Policy and Management
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Jose J. Escarce
Health Policy and Management
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Annette Maxwell
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Daniel Eisenberg
Daniel Eisenberg
Health Policy and Management
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Vickie Mays
Vickie Mays
Health Policy and Management
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Olivia Jung
Olivia Jung
Health Policy and Management
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James Macinko
James Macinko

Professor of Community Health Sciences & Health Policy and Management, and Associate Dean for Research

Community Health Sciences Health Policy and Management
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Sangeeta Ahluwalia
Sangeeta Ahluwalia
Health Policy and Management
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Ron Andersen

Dr. Ron Andersen is the Wasserman Professor Emeritus in the UCLA Departments of Health Policy and Management.

Health Policy and Management
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Warren Scott Comulada
Warren Scott Comulada
Health Policy and Management
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Michelle Keller
Michelle S. Keller

Dr. Michelle S. Keller is a health services researcher whose research focuses on the use and prescribing of high-risk medications.

Health Policy and Management
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Neal Halfon
Health Policy and Management
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Laura Erskine
Laura Erskine
Health Policy and Management
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Robert Kaplan
Robert Kaplan
Health Policy and Management
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Lori Pelliccioni
Health Policy and Management
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Ty Robbins
Health Policy and Management
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Thomas Priselac
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Samuel Sessions
Samuel Sessions
Health Policy and Management
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Mangione, C
Carol Mangione
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Thomas Rice
Thomas Rice
Health Policy and Management
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Gordon headshot
Thomas D. Gordon
Health Policy and Management
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Vilsa Eliana Curto
Vilsa Eliana Curto
Health Policy and Management
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Steven Teutsch
Health Policy and Management
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Susan Ettner
Health Policy and Management
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Patricia Ganz
Patricia Ganz
Health Policy and Management
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Alan Tomines
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Yvonne Flores
Yvonne Flores
Health Policy and Management
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Moira Inkelas
Moira Inkelas
Health Policy and Management
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Emily Abel
Emily Abel
Health Policy and Management
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Jeanne Miranda
Jeanne Miranda
Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Lillian Gelberg
Lillian Gelberg
Health Policy and Management
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Rosenstock
Linda Rosenstock
Environmental Health Sciences Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Frederick Zimmerman
Frederick Zimmerman
Health Policy and Management
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Nadereh Pourat
Nadereh Pourat
Health Policy and Management
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Pamela Davidson
Health Policy and Management
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