The Effects of Neighborhoods on Child Health: New Data and Results from Wave 2 of the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey

Anne Pebley, University of California, Los Angeles

In this paper, we present results from examining race/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in children’s health and the role of neighborhood factors in accounting for these disparities using new data from Wave 2 of the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey (L.A.FANS-2), a comprehensive longitudinal survey of children, families, and neighborhoods in L.A. County. In L.A.FANS-2, new biomarkers of stress and health were collected for children and adults along with a rich set of individual, family, and neighborhood measures. Among the biomarkers that we examine are measures of obesity, blood pressure, spirometry, chronic disease (C-reactive protein, hemaglobin A1c, and cholesterol), and stress (Epstein-Barr virus antibodies and Cortisol).