UCLA Gets $3 Million Federal Grant

The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research has been awarded a $3 million federal grants to mitigate the effects of secondhand smoke on low-income Latino and African-American families who are living in Los Angeles.

The grant will be used to implement a comprehensive action plan to reduce individual exposure to smoking in apartment buildings in L.A.

Latinos and blacks disproportionately represent the city's apartment dwellers. Although Latinos comprise 48% of the city's population, 56% live in multi-family rental housing. Among the city's African-Americans, 54% live in apartment buildings. Both groups have higher than average rates of heart disease, diabetes and cancer, all of which can be traced in part to the effects of smoking or secondhand smoke. The rates of chronic diseases among Latino and African-American children in Los Angeles tied to secondhand smoke are also higher than average.

"You shouldn't be exposed to a known health risk just by virtue of where you live," said Steven P. Wallace, the Center's associate director and the principal investigator for the grant. "This project is designed to make home a safe and healthy place for some of the most vulnerable populations in Los Angeles."

The three-year grant is part of a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services initiative known as the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH). UCLA researchers will collaborate with a coalition of healthcare agencies and non-profit organizations known as Smokefree Air for Everyone (SAFE). It focuses on educating apartment owners and managers on how to adopt regulations and implement smoke-free housing policies for their properties.