Neighborhood and Family Effects on Disparities in Chronic Disease

说明(申请人提供)：越来越多的证据表明，个人所处的社会和自然环境可能在按种族/族裔和社会经济地位划分的健康差距中发挥关键作用。这项研究的目的是显著提高我们对特定家庭和邻里特征在儿童和青少年时期慢性病及其前驱疾病出现差异中的作用的认识。该项目基于洛杉矶家庭和邻里调查(L.A.FANS)，这是一项关于洛杉矶县社区、家庭、成年人和儿童的纵向研究。第一波(L.A.FANS-1)于2002年1月完成，访问了居住在3090个家庭中的成年人和儿童，这些家庭的分层概率样本包括整个洛杉矶县的65个社区。第二波(L.A.FANS-2)正在实地进行，将于2008年完成。该项目将使用这些数据来分析特定的家庭和社区特征对哮喘、肥胖症、葡萄糖代谢、高血压和代谢综合征的影响。这些疾病在人口中的流行率和重要性正在增加，是按种族/族裔和社会经济地位划分的总体健康差距的主要组成部分。公共卫生相关性：这项研究将利用洛杉矶县一项健康纵向调查的新数据，检验关于家庭和社区特征对儿童慢性病差异的影响的假设。研究结果将提供有关儿童和终身健康方面种族/族裔和社会经济地位差异的原因和可能的战略方面的新信息。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): There is increasing evidence that the social and physical environments in which individuals live may play a key role in health disparities by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. The goal of this study is to significantly advance our knowledge about the role of specific family and neighborhood characteristics for disparities in the emergence of chronic disease and its precursors during childhood and adolescence. This project is based on the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey (L.A.FANS), a longitudinal study of neighborhoods, families, adults, and children in Los Angeles County. The first wave (L.A.FANS-1), completed in January 2002, interviewed adults and children living in 3,090 households in a stratified probability sample of 65 neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles County. The second wave (L.A.FANS-2) is in the field and will be completed in 2008. This project will use these data to analyze the effects of specific family and neighborhood characteristics on asthma, obesity, glucose metabolism, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome. These conditions are increasing in prevalence and importance among the population and represent a major component of overall health disparities by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This study will test hypotheses about the effects of family and neighborhood characteristics on disparities in chronic disease among children using new data from a longitudinal survey of health in Los Angeles County. The results will provide new information on the causes of and potential strategies to reduce race/ethnic and SES disparities in health during childhood and over the life- course.