Californians’ race, sexuality and income are connected to inequities in health-related issues, according to a UCLA study.

The California Health Interview Survey published by the UCLA Center for Health Policy found minorities have more negative health-related experiences. External factors – including housing discrimination, language barriers, policing and psychological distress – contribute to these inequities, the study found.

Ninez Ponce, a principal investigator for CHIS, said the data her team collects for the survey – which has been publishing results since 2001 – is a crucial tool for informing advocacy efforts and highlighting overlooked populations for health care access.

“Measurement is what detects where the needs are, and then policies can help shape programs,” she said.

Ponce added that 9.4% of Black adults experienced housing discrimination in 2023, a rate almost double the state average and four times the average for white adults.

Broader social factors, such as access to health insurance, quality of medical treatment and barriers to care can create unequal outcomes, she said.

Low-income families making less than twice the federal poverty level face significantly higher rates of housing discrimination, Ponce added.

The gap grows larger when taking language barriers into account, as adults who speak one or more languages other than English at home experience housing discrimination at nearly twice the proportion of adults who speak only English at home, she said.

The adolescent LGBTQ+ community faces a disproportionate amount of mental health concerns. Around two-thirds of LGBTQ+ adolescents reported experiencing serious psychological distress, compared to 23.2% of straight adolescents, Ponce said.

The survey helps inform what policy changes California needs to make, especially when taking into account LGBTQ+ adolescents who are at high risk of psychological distress, Ponce said.

“This report card points to how our mental health systems, our public health systems and our schools can ensure and address the needs of our California adolescent,” she said.

Todd Hughes, director of CHIS, said researchers select random addresses in every county of California to participate in the study.

“Through the science of survey sampling and the element of randomness, we can use that to create a reliable picture of the population of California,” he said.

Roshan Bastani, a professor of public health and director of the UCLA Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity, said data from CHIS and other sources help identify Californians’ health-related needs. She added that this information allows for the creation of policies specific to certain communities.

“You gather the information from amazing sources like CHIS, and then you use that to come up with local solutions to solve a problem,” she said. “It’s very hard to come up with a solution that is going to benefit everyone who lives in California.”

The survey, through these new findings, helps piece together a better understanding of Californians’ experiences and the barriers to healthcare present statewide, Ponce said. She added that she believes looking at health outcomes through social drivers can allow people to get the care they need.

“It’s not just enough to say there’s disparities, but how then can we connect the dots on what the fundamental causes are that led to these inequities that we’re seeing?” Ponce said.