In California, 90,000 adults with current asthma have experienced problems understanding their doctors. There are significant disparities in who experiences these communication problems according to education, income, insurance status, English proficiency, race/ethnicity and nativity. In addition, adults with asthma who experience these problems are more likely to go to the emergency department or urgent care facility (ED/urgent care) for asthma care and are less likely to receive asthma management plans from their health care providers. The authors of this policy brief suggest that improvements in education and communication strategies are needed to facilitate understanding between health care providers and asthma patients, especially when patients have limited English proficiency (LEP) or have low health literacy. Support for this policy brief was provided by a grant from The California Endowment.

The prevalence of both diabetes and obesity has grown significantly in California. Six million adults are obese and an additional 9.3 million are overweight. Obesity is a significant risk factor for diabetes; more than two million adults have been diagnosed with diabetes in California. Obesity and diabetes disproportionately affect people of color, the poor and those with the least education in California. Policy and environmental changes that promote and encourage physical activity and healthy eating will likely prove most effective in combating obesity and related conditions.

This study reports geographic variations in consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among children, adolescents, and adults and examines the correlation between soda consumption and obesity. Among the findings: researchers found that adults who drink a soda or more per day are 27 percent more likely to be overweight than those who do not drink sodas, regardless of income or ethnicity. Among children, the study found that 40 percent of young children (2-11 years of age) are drinking at least one soda or sugar-sweetened beverage every day. Adolescents (12-17) represent the biggest consumers, with 62 percent(over 2 million youths) drinking one or more sodas every day – the equivalent of consuming 39 pounds of sugar each year in soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages.

Data was drawn from the 2005 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), which interviewed more than 43,000 adults and 4,000 adolescents from every county in the state.

Every day, over two million California adolescents (62%) drink soda and 1.4 million (43%) eat fast food, but only 38% eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables. This policy brief examines adolescent consumption of fruits and vegetables, soda (not including diet soda) and fast food and the relationship to parental dietary behaviors using data from the 2005 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS 2005). It finds that adolescents are more likely to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables if their parents do so. Additionally, teens whose parents drink more soda in turn drink more soda themselves. The findings suggest that improving parents' diets may help to improve the eating behavior of adolescents. Parents can influence their children's dietary habits positively through serving as role models and through the food environment at home. Promoting retail food environments that encourage healthy choices and supporting parents in modeling healthy behaviors can help both parents and adolescents to improve dietary behavior, and reduce risk for obesity and chronic disease. Policymakers and health educators can help alter these patterns by developing supportive environments at home, at school and in the community. Support for this policy brief was provided by a grant from The California Endowment.