RESEARCHERS GO BLOCK BY BLOCK FOR L.A. INSIGHT SURVEY AIMS TO IMPROVE HEALTH.Byline: LEE PETERSON Pe·ter·son , Oscar Emmanuel Born 1925. Canadian jazz pianist. A prolific recording artist noted for his technical skill, he is best known for work produced with his own trio (1953-1965). Staff Writer From sidewalks and air quality to family troubles and neighborly neigh·bor·ly adj. Having or exhibiting the qualities of a friendly neighbor. neigh  bor·li·ness n.Adj. 1. trust, how does where you live affect your health and well-being? In a reprise re·prise n. 1. Music a. A repetition of a phrase or verse. b. A return to an original theme. 2. A recurrence or resumption of an action. tr.v. of the biggest study to ever try to understand greater Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , researchers are going block-by-block through 65 county neighborhoods conducting thousands of interviews and making detailed observations. Tree-lined or graffiti-plagued? Low-income or wealthy? Neighbors who trust one another to watch their kids in an emergency? Residents who lack health insurance? Children who do well in school or children who argue constantly with their parents? By charting the characteristics, researchers with the second round of the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey are hoping to discover the insights into how to improve the health of children and adults. As a follow-up follow-up, n the process of monitoring the progress of a patient after a period of active treatment. follow-up subsequent. follow-up plan to the survey in 2000-01, the data-gathering is expected to also determine whether neighborhoods have improved or declined -- and why. The RAND Corp. survey will create a database of 4,000 households that scientists can review for social trends and the affect of government policies. Respondents' identities are kept anonymous. ``I think it's actually a very ambitious enterprise because what we are interested in is understanding the whole picture of people's lives,'' said Anne Pebley, co-director of the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey. Survey interviews can take up to two hours and will cover everything from income levels and frequency of family arguments to children's grades and family stress. Interviewers, organized for RAND by RTI International RTI International was established in 1958 as Research Triangle Institute, the founding tenant of North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park. RTI was founded as part of a larger effort to harness the intellectual capital of the area’s three major universities— North , started in September and have at least a year to complete this go-round. Ultimately, the study could determine what programs work and how public money can best be used in Los Angeles. ``What is the most cost-effective cost-effective, n the minimal expenditure of dollars, time, and other elements necessary to achieve the health care result deemed necessary and appropriate. strategy that's going to make significant improvement in the lives of kids and the health of adults and the well-being of families that live in Los Angeles?'' said Pebley, who is also UCLA's Bixby professor of population studies. lee.peterson(at)dailybreeze.com (310) 543-6606 |
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