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At a time when California is more racially and ethnically diverse than ever, nearly twice as many of the state’s women of color, as a group, describe themselves as being in “fair or poor” health as white women do in a Public Health Institute (PHI) policy brief. The disparity is particularly pronounced among Latinas, African-American and American Indian/Alaska Native women: women of color were almost twice as likely as white women to say their health was fair or poor.

Using data from the 2011–2012 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS 2011–12), this policy brief describes racial/ethnic health disparities among women for four main health topics:

1. Health status; 
2. Health conditions (arthritis, asthma, diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure); 
3. Health risk factors (smoking and obesity); and 
4. Health coverage and access.