New visualization tools provide California county-level data on health among NHPI communities

The UCLA Fielding School's UCLA Center for Health Policy Research’s Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Data Policy Lab has launched two free, online data tools that can help empower NHPI communities and advocates. The Center is led by Dr. Ninez Ponce, professor and endowed chair in the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health's Department of Health Policy and Management. 

One of the tools is a social determinants of health dashboard that features California county-level data on health conditions, access to care, insurance status, income and poverty level, housing, education, disability, veteran status, and more. Dashboard users can sort the data for comparisons.

The other tool is a series of county-level data profiles that feature NHPI-specific data from multiple sources, including the California Health Interview Survey, American Community Survey, and U.S. Census. The profiles emphasize data disaggregation allowing users to compare health data among NHPI subgroups, such as Chamorros, Fijians, Native Hawaiians, Samoans, and Tongans.

Data profiles are currently available for Alameda, Los Angeles, and Orange counties.

NHPIs have long been mistakenly subsumed into the Asian American category in population survey data, because an NHPI category was not always provided. This historic mislabeling has led to an inaccurate picture of their lives.

In developing the data tools, which were supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health, the NHPI Data Policy Lab integrated multiple reviews and regular feedback from the NHPI community. The lab also hosted trainings to ensure the data is accessible and easily understandable for the communities they serve.

With robust and accurate data, community leaders and advocates can more effectively fight for resources and policy changes at the local and state levels.