Wellness, physical activity, and nutrition are essential for children as they prepare for a healthy lifestyle and positive health outcomes as adults. The Child Health Topic includes three Indicators that measure different aspects of child health and wellness: childhood asthma emergency department visits, physical fitness, and SNAP recipiency. The first Indicator measures asthma-related emergency department visits and is related to the environmental and housing conditions that affect children’s health. The second Indicator, physical fitness, a measure of student fitness levels assessed in schools, tracks physical aptitude and activity. The third Indicator, SNAP recipiency, shows whether families have adequate income to provide healthy food for their children.

The Civic Engagement Topic measures three different aspects of an engaged community working to improve conditions and collectively shape the future of Oakland. The first Indicator compares the percents of drains that have been adopted in majority Asian and majority White census tracts through the Adopt a Drain program. The second Indicator compares voter turnout rates among residents in Council District 7 and Council District 1. Finally, the third Indicator compares the percent of the population that is Spanish-speaking with limited English proficiency (LEP) and the percent of city public contact position (PCP) employees that are bilingual in Spanish and English to ensure that LEP status does not inhibit access to city services.

The Access to Preventive Care Topic includes two Indicators that measure preventable hospitalizations related to acute and chronic disease, and one that measures health insurance. Non-White Oaklanders are more likely to be hospitalized for conditions that could have been prevented by having better access to preventive care. They are also more likely to be uninsured, which is a major deterrent to accessing preventive health services. Poverty and immigration status may make it even more likely for racial and ethnic minorities to lack insurance and forego needed care.

Physical and mental health encompasses a wide range of health outcomes and can be measured in many different ways. The Indicators in this Topic were chosen to reflect important public health issues that are not captured in other Topics in the Public Health Theme. The first two Indicators measure visits to the emergency department for severe mental illness and for substance abuse. The third Indicator measures new HIV diagnoses in Alameda County. In all three of these Indicators, the greatest disparities are between African American and Asian Oaklanders.

The three Indicators in the Transportation and Infrastructure Topic measure the different ways Oaklanders travel in the city. The first Indicator measures racial and ethnic disparities in car access, which is important due to the heavy reliance on cars for commuting to work, school, and other places. The second Indicator measures the frequency of buses along each segment of the network and compares majority non-White/mixed and majority African American census tracts. The third Indicator is a citywide measurement of curb ramps that are accessible to individuals with limited mobility, including seniors and those with physical disabilities.

Voter turnout is measured by the percent of registered voters that voted in the 2016 general election. This Indicator measures geographic disparities by City Council District. For a map of the City Council Districts, see here: http://www2.oaklandnet.com/oakca1/groups/ceda/documents/image/oak044524.pdf.

A safe, clean, and healthy environment is a key component of neighborhood quality. The three Indicators in this Topic explored different attributes of neighborhoods that have an impact on resident health. The first Indicator compared park quality in Council District 1 and Council District 7. The second Indicator compared the rates of service request for illegal dumping in majority Latino and majority White census tracts. The third Indicator compared the pollution burden score in majority Asian and majority White census tracts.

Homelessness is measured by number of homeless individuals per 100,000 individuals in the general population. Homelessness data was available by race and ethnicity, separately. Both sheltered and unsheltered homeless individuals are captured in the homelessness counts, to provide a fuller picture of the homeless population.

This Indicator measures the percent of streets that are in the High Injury Network for pedestrians over the five year period 2012-2016. This subset of the High Injury Network includes streets with the highest concentration of severe and fatal pedestrian injuries. The Indicator takes into account the length of each street segment in both the High Injury Network and the overall street network.

This Indicator measures overall ratings for Oakland parks and compares average scores by City Council District. The overall ratings were based on an annual survey that assigned parks letter grades (A through F), which corresponded to scores (A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1 and F=0). In addition to Council District scores, the scores for parks surrounding Lake Merritt were reported as an average Lakeside score. The survey also included questions about greenery, amenities, recreation areas, and homeless encampments. For a map of the City Council Districts, see here: http://www2.oaklandnet.com/oakca1/groups/ceda/documents/image/oak044524.pdf.