The Health Statistics and Data Management Section (HSDM) oversees the contract with the firm that administers the telephone survey through which BRFSS data is collected.  HSDM analyzes information from BRFSS, prepares reports that contain tabulations of BRFSS data, and distributes statistical reports to government agencies and other requesting public and private organizations.

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is a telephone survey conducted by the health departments of all 50 states, including New Hampshire, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam.  The survey is conducted with assistance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The BRFSS is the largest continuously conducted telephone health survey in the world and is the primary source of information for states and the nation on the health-related behaviors of adults.

For more than 20 years, CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) has helped states gather information about a wide range of behaviors that affect the health of their residents. BRFSS has been performed in NH since 1987. The primary focus of these surveys has been on behaviors that are linked with the leading causes of death—heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, and injury—and other important health issues. This information is essential for planning, conducting, and evaluating public health programs at the national, state, and local levels.

While parts of the BRFSS survey vary from year to year, questions measure topics in four general areas:

• Health related behaviors such as smoking, physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption and access to and use of health care;
• Prevalence of chronic diseases not measured elsewhere such as asthma, heart disease, diabetes and arthritis;
• Public awareness and perception of important health issues such as cancer screening, hypertension and cholesterol control, HIV education and radon exposure; and
• Demographic and socioeconomic information such as sex, race, age, education and income.

The BRFSS also can be used to address urgent and emerging health issues in a particular area. For example, following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, three states—New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut added questions to their BRFSS surveys to measure the psychological and emotional effects of this traumatic event.

For more information about the BRFSS, contact Health Statistics and Data Management or visit the BRFSS web site.