Southern California Center for Latino Health
Obesity and related chronic diseases, type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and dyslipidemia continue to increase in the U.S., and Latinos are disproportionally affected. These disparities begin in early life, occur within families, and are driven by multi-level factors, including individual (diet, eating behaviors), social (cultural values, economic factors), and environmental (access to healthy foods, chemical exposures such as air pollution). These factors interact to affect Latino health but are rarely studied in a holistic manner. Southern California is home to 10.8 million Latinos, representing 45.2% of the population
The overarching goal of the Southern California Center for Latino Health (SCCLH) is to understand how these multi-level factors contribute to multiple chronic disease disparities in Latinos across the life course, and to develop and evaluate family-based, culturally sensitive solutions.