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Overview of L.A.FANS Survey Design

Study Population

L.A.FANS is a panel study of a representative sample of all neighborhoods and all households in Los Angeles County. Poor neighborhoods and families with children are oversampled.

Project Design

Data are being collected in two waves, in 2000-2001 and 2004-2005, with the possibility of additional waves in later years. Wave 1 was completed in January 2002. The L.A.FANS follows neighborhoods over time, as well as children and families. Specifically, in the second wave of the survey, the L.A.FANS will: (1) reinterview all children and adults in the sample, even if they move out of the neighborhood, (2) reinterview all sampled respondents who remain in the neighborhood, and (3) interview a sample of new entrants into the neighborhood.   Thus, the L.A.FANS combines the advantages of a panel study of children and families with the advantages of a repeated cross-sectional sample of each neighborhood. This feature will allow researchers to examine neighborhood selection, i.e., the process by which families select themselves into and out of neighborhoods.

Sample Design and Characteristics

L.A.FANS is based on a stratified random sample of 65 neighborhoods (census tracts) in Los Angeles County. Poor neighborhoods were oversampled. In Wave 1, an average of 41 households were randomly selected and interviewed within each neighborhood, including an oversample of households with children under 18. Within each household, both adults and children were sampled and interviewed.

Each sampled person was interviewed in the first wave and will be interviewed in each subsequent wave, whether they remain in the neighborhood or move elsewhere. In the second wave, a fresh sample of households that have moved into the neighborhood in the preceding two years will also be selected and interviewed. These households will become part of the sample and be followed in subsequent waves. Thus, the size of the sample grows over time. Table 1 shows the approximate sizes of the samples of adults and children in each wave.

Table 1. Sample Sizes for L.A.FANS (Actual for Wave 1 and Anticipated for Wave 2)

Household Survey Content

Each wave of L.A.FANS includes a household survey. Here we describe the survey content for Wave 1 of L.A.FANS. (The content for Wave 2 will be very similar.)

In Wave 1, sampled adults were asked to complete: (a) a household roster, (b) questions about household economic status, health insurance, assets, current and past participation in welfare programs (e.g., AFDC, TANF, GR, Medicaid, SSI, WIC, housing assistance), use of private social service programs, and their neighborhood, and (c) questions about education, employment, income, migration and immigration, marital history, neighborhoods of residence, reasons for moving, and social ties and social support.

Primary caregivers (usually the mother) of sampled children were asked to complete questions about themselves and the home environment. They were asked about the child's behavior problems, school-related performance and disciplinary problems, and current health and disability status, as well as child care history (including names and addresses of current providers), immigrant status, school enrollment, health and disability history, child support payments, contact with the absent parent, residence history, and use of public and private social service programs (e.g., SSI, school lunch, after-school and recreational programs, Medicaid).  Primary caregivers also completed cognitive assessments.

Cognitive assessments were administered to sampled children ages 3 and older. Children ages 9 and older were also asked about expectations for educational attainment, their friends, and social interaction. Children ages 12 and older were also asked about employment, school, and their families and neighborhoods.

Further Information

For details on the project design see:

For more information on the original of questions and scales in the L.A.FANS questionnaire see:

Origin of L.A.FANS Questions