State and local health survey data use in California public health policy and health care

There has been growing interest in and demand for local data on the health of populations. This type of health data can be an important tool in informing and crafting public health and health care policy. We will present three examples in which local data from the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) informed California policy. CHIS, the nation's largest ongoing state health survey, is designed to provide health information on the overall population as well as local-level health information for most counties in California. CHIS data were used to develop and advocate for policy related to 1) changing the food environment in a section of Los Angeles as part of an effort to prevent obesity and diabetes, 2) monitoring chronic health conditions in Sonoma County for policy audiences, and 3) developing and advocating for proposals for State-level health care reform. Having adequate local survey samples was critical for the analyses that supported these policy efforts, and offering multiple dissemination tools was essential to facilitating the policy use of the data. These examples highlight the ways in which local health survey data can be used to assess and improve community health.