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Jocelyn A. Hirschman, MPH1, Ami M. Shah, MPH2, Abigail Silva, MPH2, and Steven Whitman, PhD2. (1) Sinai Urban Health Institute, Sinai Health System, California Ave at 15th St., K430, Chicago, IL 60608, 773-257-5329, hirj@sinai.org, (2) Sinai Health System, Sinai Urban Health Institute, California Ave at 15th St., K439, Chicago, IL 60608
Assessments of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) in communities can assist in identifying vulnerable and underserved populations, motivate groups to act on health-related problems, guide efforts to ensure health resources match the needs of the community, and be used to evaluate public health efforts. Despite the utility of HRQOL information, the routine collection of such data at the local level has yet to be implemented. HRQOL data is available nationwide and by state, but not typically available at the county, city, or community level.
Improving Community Health Survey was implemented face-to-face in six racially/ethnically diverse community areas in Chicago. One goal was to fill this gap in community level knowledge of HRQOL. Data were collected from 1699 randomly selected adults.
The survey revealed excessive disparities in age-adjusted self-rated health between communities. Most significantly, 51% of the adults in a predominately Mexican community reported fair/poor self-rated health, 33% in a NH-Black community, vs. 7% in a NH-White community. Self-rated health and the number of Unhealthy Days were directly related. Those in excellent health reported about 3 Unhealthy Days per month and those in poor health reported 17 Unhealthy Days. Unhealthy Days was also associated with several chronic health conditions including diabetes, obesity, asthma, and depression. Depression was found to be especially burdensome, with an average number of 13 Unhealthy Days.
Our presentation will discuss how measures of HRQOL are useful for health planners and policy makers in assuring that resources are allocated appropriately to communities and that they target health conditions causing the greatest disability.
Learning Objectives: Learning Objectives
Keywords: Quality of Life, Planning
Related Web page: www.sinai.org/urban/originalresearch/rwj/index.asp
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.