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December 11, 2006
Little Rock --Are you searching for Arkansas health information by county? Are you wondering about the health status of your county compared to the state overall? This information and more about the health behaviors and health practices of Arkansans is now available on the Arkansas Center for Health Statistics Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) website at http://www.brfss.arkansas.
gov/county_data.html.
The BRFSS is a standardized, random telephone health survey of adults 18 and older conducted by each of the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and three U.S. territories under the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The BRFSS began in the 1980s after research showed that personal health behaviors play an important role in the existence of unnecessary deaths and illnesses. The survey allows individual states to collect information on personal behaviors (such as smoking, drinking, not getting exercise, being overweight and/or obese, not getting preventive medical care such as mammograms, pap smears, colorectal screenings, and prostate screenings, not getting pneumonia shots and/or flushots) that are all linked to the leading causes of death (heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, injury) and other important health issues.
The Arkansas Center for Health Statistics has been conducting a state-level monthly BRFSS survey continuously since 1993 and currently completes over 400 telephone interviews per month. The Center also conducts adult county-level surveys sponsored by local Hometown Health Coalitions.
For more information on the Arkansas BRFSS survey, go to http://www.brfss.arkansas.gov/ or contact LaTonya Steward, Arkansas BRFSS Coordinator by email latonya.steward@arkansas.gov or call 501-661-2003.
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