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We describe how local community organizations partnered to conduct a survey in the Chinese, Cambodian, and Vietnamese populations of Chicago to compare health outcomes and assess progress toward Healthy People 2010 goals. Interviews were conducted with 380 randomly selected Chinese adults through door-to-door sampling, and with 250 Cambodian adults and 150 Vietnamese adults through respondent-driven sampling. Data on 14 key health outcomes are described for this analysis. The three surveyed communities were generally poorer, less educated, more often foreign-born, and had less English proficiency than Asians nationally. There were few significant variations among the three populations, but there were notable differences in the burden of tuberculosis, obesity, diabetes, and arthritis. Insurance coverage and cancer-screening utilization were also significantly lower than for US Asians. Health information about Chinese, Cambodian, and Vietnamese populations in Chicago are available for the first time and serve as baseline data for community interventions. Findings highlight important health concerns for these populations and have implications for funders and policy makers in allocating resources, setting health priorities, and addressing health disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data describing local level HIV testing practices and attitudes regarding HIV prevention are rarely available, yet would be useful for HIV policy and evaluation. A comprehensive health survey was conducted in six community areas of Chicago ( n = 1,699) in 2002–2003. The HIV prevention module of this survey was used for this analysis. The proportion that ever tested for HIV ranged from 40 to 75% and 11 to 38% were tested in the past 12 months. Residents favored: needle exchange programs (59–77%), HIV information in high schools (95–100%) and elementary schools (85–94%), and condom distribution in high schools (74–93%). Attitudes were less favorable regarding pharmacies selling clean needles (37–58%) and condom distribution in elementary schools (22–66%). Adults in these areas are over three times more likely to have been tested recently than adults nationally. Residents strongly favor community based HIV prevention initiatives such as needle exchange programs, condom distribution in high schools, and HIV prevention taught in schools. These evidence-based observations may be valuable in planning HIV prevention programs and in shaping policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. We analyzed data from a community health survey to assess levels of obesity and overweight among children in some Chicago communities compared with national U.S. estimates. Methods. Data came from the Sinai Improving Community Health Survey, which was conducted via face-to-face interviews with people living in six racially and ethnically diverse Chicago communities during 2002 and 2003. A stratified, three-stage probability study design was employed to obtain a representative sample from each community. Height and weight data reported by the primary caretakers of 501 randomly selected children aged 2-12 years were used to determine age- and gender-specific body mass index (BMI), which was then used to classify weight status (obese ≥95th percentile for age and gender). Results. Compared with 16.8% for the U.S., the prevalence of obesity was 11.8% in a non-Hispanic white community on Chicago's north side, 34.0% in a Mexican American community on the west side, and 56.4% in a non-Hispanic black community on the south side. Conclusions. Surveillance of the childhood obesity epidemic at the local level is limited. Findings describe the extent of disparities in childhood overweight and obesity within one city and how local-level data can shape new initiatives for improved health, one community at a time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We assessed the impact of diabetes in a large Puerto Rican community of Chicago by measuring the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes and calculating the diabetes mortality rate. Data were analyzed from a comprehensive health survey conducted in randomly selected households in community areas. Questions on diagnosed diabetes and selected risk factors were asked. In addition, vital records data were analyzed in order to calculate the age-adjusted diabetes mortality rate. When possible, rates were compared to those found in other studies. The diabetes prevalence located in this community (20.8%: 95% CI = 10.1%-38.0%) is the highest ever reported for Puerto Ricans and one of the highest ever reported in the United States for a non-Native American population. For instance, it is twice the prevalence for Puerto Ricans in New York (11.3%) and Puerto Rico (9.3%-9.6%). Diagnosed diabetes was found to be significantly associated with obesity (p = 0.023). The prevalence was particularly high among older people, females, those born in the US, and those with a family history of diabetes. Notably, the diabetes mortality rate (67.6 per 100,000 population) was more than twice the rate for all of Chicago (31.2) and the US (25.4). Understanding why the diabetes prevalence and mortality rates for Puerto Ricans in this community are so much higher than those of other communities is imperative for primary and secondary prevention. Collaboration between researchers, service providers and community members can help address the issues of diabetes education, early screening and diagnosis, and effective treatment needed in this community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. A\though local-level chronic disease and risk factor data are not typically available, they are valuable for guiding public health interventions and policies. To present a case for disaggregated community-level health data, we conducted a study exploring the relevance of such data to research on health disparities. Methods. We designed a population-based health survey to gather information on many health measures, 13 of which are presented here. Interviews were conducted with 1699 adults (18-75 years) in 6 Chicago community areas between September 2002 and April 2003. Results. Statistically significant variations in health measures were found between the 6 communities themselves (108 of 195 pairwise comparisons were significant) and between the communities and Chicago as a whole (35 of 54 comparisons were significant). Conclusions. The local-level variations in health revealed in this study emphasize that geographic and racial/ethnic health disparities are still prominent in Chicago and shed light on the limitations of existing city- and regional-level data. (Am J Public Health. 2006,96:1485-1491. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2004.052076) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. We analyzed smoking survey data across communities in Chicago, III, to explore community-level variations in smoking behavior. Methods. We conducted a health survey of 6 racially and ethnically diverse Chicago communities during 2002-2003. The survey included questions about current smoking, smoking history, and cessation attempts. Results. Smoking prevalence varied from 18% in the wealthiest (predominately White) community to 39% in the poorest (predominately Black) community. In a contiguous pair of communities, one Mexican and the other Black, smoking prevalence varied by a factor of 2. Men, residents in poorer households and households without telephones, and residents with less education were most likely to smoke. Conclusions. The high proportions of current smokers who had attempted to quit indicate a prevalent desire to stop smoking. However, less than 4% of the Master Tobacco Settlement Agreement funds are being spent on smoking prevention, or even on health in general, in Illinois. Although much is known about the prevalence of smoking at the national level, few studies of smoking have been done at the community level, presenting difficulties for the allocation of resources and the design of smoking cessation programs in response to community needs. Understanding community-level smoking rates could improve the allocation of resources and assist the shaping of culturally meaningful prevention efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]