Where did the information in this book
come from?
The information for this Chartbook came from the Behavioral Risk
Factor Surveillance System survey (BRFSS survey). The BRFSS survey
(http://www.cdc.gov/brfss/)
is a state-based health survey in which people agree to answer
questions about their health. The survey also collects information
about behaviors that affect health (such as smoking and exercise),
health care practices (such as getting a flu shot), and access to
health care (such as having health insurance).
The BRFSS survey is a telephone survey done every year by each state
or territory health department. The survey has three parts. The
first part consists of questions that are used in every state. The
second part has sets of developed questions that states may choose
to ask. The third part consists of questions that states may develop
on their own.
Any resident of the United States who has a phone might be called
(but not people who only have cell phones). Some groups of people
are not included in the BRFSS. Children under 18 years of age and
people who are in an institution, such as a jail, nursing home, or
hospital, are not included in the survey. People who do not have a
telephone and those who do not speak either English or Spanish are
not included. Some people who have a disability may not be included
because they do not understand the questions (such as people with
intellectual disability), cannot get to the phone before it stops
ringing (such as people who do not walk), or people who use a
special telephone that sounds to the caller like a fax machine (such
as people who are deaf).
In the BRFSS survey, people are considered to have a disability if
they answer “Yes” to one or both of the following questions:
- Are you limited in any way in any activities because of
physical, mental, or emotional problems?
- Do you now have any health problem that requires you to use
special equipment, such as a cane, a wheelchair, a special bed,
or a special telephone?
The United States has a national plan to improve the nation’s
health, called Healthy People 2010 (HP2010). HP2010 includes a list
of the major health concerns for the United States, known as the
leading health indicators. These indicators help people and their
communities focus on actions that can improve health. The BRFSS
survey collects information about some of these indicators every
year. The yearly survey helps to track the progress of health
programs and shows if the health programs are meeting the HP2010
goals. The BRFSS survey collects information on a number of these
health indicators for each state including obesity, smoking,
physical activity, immunization (shots), and health care access.
This Chartbook includes information on these indicators.
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Date: August 30, 2006
Content source: National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental
Disabilities
