FAQ's
Background of BRFSS
In the 1970s, with the growing evidence that personal behavior can influence health, the public health community and the general public became increasingly interested in how behavior change can reduce the risk for chronic diseases, injuries, and infectious diseases.
Because major disease prevention initiatives are traditionally carried out at the state level, state health departments began to assess ways to promote healthy behavior. They found, however, that the behavioral data needed to plan and guide risk-reduction efforts either were not available or were obtained from specialized household surveys or estimates derived from national surveys. Since household surveys are expensive and data from national surveys may not be applicable to a given state, health officials looked for alternate methods of collecting data on risk behaviors.
By the early 1980s, telephone surveys had emerged as a reliable and affordable way to determine the prevalence of risk behaviors in a population, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) started working with state health departments to develop a rapid, low-cost telephone surveillance system using random-digit dialing. The goal was for states to collect, analyze, and interpret locally relevant data on risk behaviors and preventive health practices for use in planning, implementing, and measuring the progress of their risk-reduction programs and for developing appropriate policies and legislation.
With the success of these surveys, CDC initiated the more comprehensive Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) in 1984, with 15 states collecting data on risk behaviors through a series of monthly telephone interviews. Along with training, coordination, and standardized methods, CDC provided funds directly to participating health departments via cooperative agreements. The surveillance system continued to grow until participants included 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands. BRFSS models were even being developed internationally, as far away as Scotland, China, and Australia.
How BRFSS Works
States conduct BRFSS interviews each month according to specified procedures.
- Interviews are conducted in each state among non-institutionalized civilian adults (18 years of age or older) living in households with a telephone.
- After a household is contacted, an adult is randomly selected to be interviewed. The selected respondent is interviewed by using a standardized questionnaire. If the selected respondent is not available at the time of the first call, a follow-up interview is scheduled.
- At the completion of the interviewing cycle each month, the states use software provided by BSB (Behavioral Service Branch) to edit their data. They then send their data to BSB for a final edit. Results are compiled at the end of the year. BSB provides each state with an aggregated data set as well as cross-tabulations of selected measures by demographic variables.
To assure confidentiality, no respondent identifiers are retained in the interview record. Even the last two digits of the telephone number are eliminated from the final data to assure that a respondent's answers cannot be connected to a specific person or telephone number. All personnel involved with the BRFSS must respect interviews outside the work environment. Individuals who monitor interviews are subject to the same confidentiality standards as other members of the BRFSS staff.
Who Uses the BRFSS Data in the Office of Primary Care, Prevention and Planning
Benefits of BRFSS Data
- Increases residents' awareness of personal behaviors that have negative consequences.
- Supports agencies' funding proposals and reports by providing baseline data.
- Establishes baseline data and helps agencies monitor progress toward achieving Healthy People 2010 objectives.
- Assists agencies in determining priorities and long-range strategic plans.
