Comparing the health of ten Chicago racial and ethnic populations

The Sinai Health System has taken important steps toward eliminating health disparities in Chicago. This community hospital gathered local health survey data about ten Chicago communities and used these data to shape effective community-based initiatives aimed at improving health in vulnerable communities and thus reducing disparities. This randomly selected door-to-door population household survey was conducted in ten Chicago communities, which included Black, White, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cambodian, Chinese, Jewish and Vietnamese populations. These data have led to important public-private and community-driven initiatives addressing high rates of smoking, obesity, pediatric asthma, breast cancer and diabetes in some of Chicago's most vulnerable populations. For example, 40% of adults in a Black community on the Westside (North Lawndale) and among them, nearly 80% had tried to quit in the past year. Such findings were used to obtain a $1.5 million grant from the Illinois Department of Health to target smoking cessation in this community. In addition, 21% of Puerto Rican adults were found to have diabetes, which led to community-medical center partnerships in two of the surveyed communities and two NIH grants totaling $3 million for prevention interventions. Similar initiatives have been put in place involving breast cancer and pediatric asthma. We will first present data findings for the different racial and ethnic populations. Then we will describe how these local data were able to identify specific health problems, inspire community action and guide the development of new interventions. Finally, we will explain how this process can serve as a model for other local communities nationally.