Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, and Tulare Counties (CA)

Team Profile Summary

The San Joaquin Valley project is a collaborative effort between the Central Valley Health Policy Institute at California State University Fresno and six county health department directors and/or their designees. Motor Vehicle Accidents (MVAs) are the leading cause of death for individuals between the ages of 2 and 34 in the United States, and MVA rates are especially high in rural areas like the San Joaquin Valley (each of the valley’s participating counties has MVA mortality rates above those of the state and the nation). Rural residency, lower socioeconomic status, and Latino ethnicity have been shown to be strongly associated with MVA mortality rates across the country.

Team Profile Details

Problem Statement

• Residents of rural areas made up just 21% of the U.S. population in 2004, 58% of all traffic fatalities were the result of accidents in rural areas.
• Racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionately killed in MVAs, compared with non-Latino whites.
• Latinos, for whom MVAs are the fifth leading cause of death for all age groups.
• San Joaquin Valley MVAs occur at a higher rate in rural areas, and Latinos account for almost half of the region’s fatalities.

Team Objectives

Actions planned for the team fall into three categories:

1. The team plans to conduct qualitative research on the social determinants of rural MVAs in the SJV in two rural local communities. This research will be done in two counties and will include community forums, focus groups, interviews, and a Photo Voice project.
2. A pilot project in these communities will be used to develop an efficient model for raising awareness, training, and empowering rural communities to become not only safer drivers, but advocates for health equity as well. The pilot project will include an evaluation component (both of dissemination efforts and of project activities) and will utilize a regional task force and community advocacy groups made up of individuals from community-based organizations and community residents.
3. Implementing the results of the networking, evaluation, and research done in the pilot project in each of the eight valley counties, using pilot project participants to train residents of other rural communities.

For more information and to become involved, please contact:

Team Lead: Dr. Marlene Bengiamin
Email: marleneb@csufresno.edu
Phone: 559-228-2167