Illness Prevention

Adults

Adolescents

Children

Data for adults and adolescents were obtained from the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBS), which represent the only data available on certain topics. The BRFSS is conducted annually and the YRBS is conducted biennially. Data from these sources are based on samples of the population. Because of the small sample sizes, no reliable estimates could be made at the county level. Data for children were obtained from the CDC’s National Immunization Survey and from the CDC’s Water Fluoridation Reporting System.

Illness Prevention in Adults:

Illness prevention data for adults age 18 and over was processed using the CDC’s annual BRFSS data files. The BRFSS is a state-based system of health surveys that generate information about health risk behaviors, clinical preventive practices, and health care access and use primarily related to chronic diseases and injury. It is a cross-sectional telephone survey conducted by state health departments with technical and methodological assistance provided by the CDC. States conduct monthly telephone interviews using a standardized questionnaire to determine the distribution of risk behaviors and health practices among non-institutionalized adults. The states forward the responses to the CDC, where the data are aggregated for each state and released annually. The BRFSS questionnaire is comprised of core questions and optional modules. Fixed core questions are asked every year. Rotating core questions are asked every other year. All states must ask all core questions. Optional modules are standardized questions that are supported by the CDC that cover additional health topics or are more detailed questions on a health topic included in the core. Each year states must choose which optional modules they will use based on the data needs of their state.

BRFSS data are directly weighted for the probability of selection of a telephone number, the number of adults in a household, and the number of telephones in a household. A final poststratification adjustment is made for nonresponse and noncoverage of households without telephones. The weights for each relevant factor are multiplied together to get the final weight, which is used in analyses.

For the BRFSS, the US value was calculated using the values from all of the states. Please note that values on the system will differ from those on the CDC’s BRFSS website, which gives the US value as the median of the states.

Where possible, BRFSS data were used to calculate two- and three-year age-adjusted averages. These figures were computed when a variable was included on the survey for at least two of the three years included in the average. Data were age-adjusted using the year 2000 population standard. More information about age-adjusted data can be found here.

Complete documentation on survey methodology, historic information, confidence intervals, and survey questionnaires can be found at: http://www.cdc.gov/brfss.

Additional data may also be available at each state’s BRFSS website. A complete listing of state sites and state BRFSS coordinators is available at: http://www2.cdc.gov/nccdphp/brfss2/coordinator.asp.

See BRFSS Questions used on Quick Health Data Online.

Illness Prevention in Adolescents:

Illness prevention data for teenagers were obtained from the CDC’s 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007 YRBS. CDC developed the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) to monitor six categories of priority health-risk behaviors among youth — behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence; tobacco use; alcohol and other drug use; sexual behaviors that contribute to unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases; unhealthy dietary behaviors; and physical inactivity — plus overweight. These risk behaviors contribute markedly to the leading causes of death, disability, and social problems among youth and adults in the United States. YRBSS includes a national school-based survey conducted by CDC as well as state, territorial, and local school-based surveys conducted by education and health agencies. In these surveys, representative samples of students in grades 9–12 are drawn. Complete documentation on survey methodology, historic information, confidence intervals, and survey questionnaires can be found at: http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/index.htm.

In 2001, the following states were lacking data: Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. While a total of 43 states participated in the 2003 YRBS, data were only available for 32 of these states. Eleven states that participated in the 2003 YRBS used only unweighted surveys and their data were not published. These states are: Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, and South Carolina. In addition, several states did not participate at all in the 2003 YRBS. These states are: California, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Note that in 2003, data from Texas excluded Houston. Within participating states, there may be missing data items, primarily due to the states not asking a particular question, as outlined below with the individual questions. 2005 YRBS data were unavailable for Alaska, California, District of Columbia, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington. 2007 data were unavailable for Alabama, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, Oregon Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington.

See YRBS Questions used on the Quick Health Data Online.

In 2001, some YRBS data were weighted and as a result, the sum of the sample student size in the states was more than the US total. All of the 2001 participating states are listed below as either weighted or unweighted.

In 2003, 2005 and 2007, CDC only published YRBS data for those states that weighted their survey data. As a result, data presented in the database reflect only states with weighted data.

Children’s data are from the following sources:

Percent Using Fluoridated Water data are from the 2000 and 2002 Water Fluoridation Reporting System via the CDC’s National Oral Health Surveillance System. The data represent the percent of the US population on public water supply systems that receive fluoridated water. Additional information can be found here.

Estimated Vaccination Coverage for individual vaccines and selected vaccination series, among children 19-35 months of age, by state, are from the US National Immunization Survey. Note, the NIS estimates vaccination coverage for the 50 states and 28 selected urban areas, details of which may be found here. Due to sampling methods and sample size constraints of the NIS, coverage for additional geographical areas can not be estimated. Additional information can be found here.

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