Commentary: Dr. Rashmi Shetgiri and Dr. Roberto Vargas on the 2023 LACHS Survey
“ The 2023 effort utilized two communication modalities, via the internet and telephone. The sampling goal was to elicit responses from a representative population of county residents. Our intent was fulfilled, and a lot of important, useful information was received. Over 9,000 adult participants responded,” she said.
I. Overview by Dr. Shetgiri
With respect to impact, the timing of the 2023 survey was an important endeavor since the last previous survey was conducted in 2018 prior to COVID-19. According to Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Chief Science Officer Dr. Rashmi Shetgiri,“ The intent was to provide information that community-based organizations, public health organizations, and the public can use. The survey provided an opportunity to assess the current state of health in LA County, and look at trends and health inequities, with the goal of developing ways to address them to ensure better outcomes.”
The methodology for survey administration changed somewhat since prior survey cycles.“ The LA County Health Survey is conducted through a vendor,” she noted.“ We did not oversample these groups, we make sure the sample composition reflects the sizes of these populations in the county.
LACHS- Dr. Shetgiri
“ In the case of LBGTQ respondents, in past surveys there was not enough of a sample size to make conclusions. The 2023 survey emphasized how imperative it was to secure enough information to understand health conditions in disparate groups and communities,” she stated.
Recommendations were enabled because the survey offered the ability to determine how conditions such as racial disparities varied throughout the County. Information on the social determinants of health was collected in various parts of the County that showed the variety of ways that various communities are being impacted, to the goal of learning how to address underlying health inequities.
The unveiling that took place at CDU was an intentional strategy. Department of Public Health Director Dr. Barbara
LACHS Survey- MLK Community Hospital
CDU College of Medicine | PG. 20