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Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)
Weighted BRFSS data are used in all calculations. BRFSS data are weighted for the probability of selection of a telephone number, the number of adults in a household, and the number of phones in a household and adjusted to reflect the demographic distribution of North Carolina's adult population (ages 18 and older).
Respondents who refused to answer or did not know the answer were excluded from any calculations in these tables. However, for a few questions "Don't know/Not sure" responses provide valuable information and were included in the calculations. The denominator for each calculation is the number of adults who responded to the item (exceptions are specified in the footnotes).
In each table, the results are displayed by sex, race, Hispanic origin, age groups, education levels, household income, and counties and regions. However, when there are fewer than 3,500 respondents for a question, the results by demographics are suppressed. Moreover, if there are fewer than 500, the state tables include only sex and race breakdowns and the county or regional tables include only the state estimates.
All questions from the survey are not presented in the following tables; however, the full questionnaire may be viewed online. Whenever possible, the exact wording for each question is used as a title, however due to space limitations, the titles may not include some introductory remarks and explanations for some questions.
Dual Questionnaire
The 2001 BRFSS questionnaire included more than 230 questions. Accommodation of this many questions required the use of a dual questionnaire design. All respondents received the core sections of the 2001 BRFSSS questionnaire The remaining questions were organized by topics into two sections called Questionnaire A and B. Forty-one optional modules and state added questions were included in both Questionnaire A and B and thus asked of all respondents (see 2001 BRFSS questionnaire), and about 40 questions were unique to either questionnaire A or B. Approximately half of the respondents were randomly assigned to receive either Questionnaire A or B.
Risk Factors and Calculated Variables Presented in the 2001 BRFSS Results
Body Mass Index Grouping
Body mass index (BMI) is computed as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared:(kg/ m2). BMI is an intermediate variable used in calculating these measures:
Underweight: BMI less than 18.5, Recommended Range: BMI 18.5 to 24.9, Overweight: BMI 25.0 to 29.9, Obese: BMI greater than 29.9. and Overweight or Obese: BMI greater than 24.9.
Cholesterol Check Within the Last Five Years
Checked: Respondents who had their cholesterol checked within the past five years.
Not Checked: Respondents who did not have their cholesterol checked within the past five years.
Never Checked: Respondents who never had their cholesterol checked.
Smoking Status
Current Smoker (every day): Respondents who have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and now smoke every day.
Current Smoker (some days): Respondents who have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and now smoke some days.
Former Smoker: Respondents who have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and currently do not smoke.
Never Smoked: Respondents who have not smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime.
Current Smoker
Yes: Current Smoker (every day or some days)
No: Former Smoker or Never Smoked.
Smokeless Tobacco Use Status
Current User: Respondents who have used smokeless tobacco products and currently use them.
Former User: Respondents who have used smokeless tobacco products, but currently do not use them.
Never Used: Respondents who have never used smokeless tobacco products.
Worksites Prohibit Smoking in Both Public and Work Areas
Yes: Respondents whose work place prohibits smoking in any work or public areas.
No: Respondents whose work place does not prohibit smoking in any work or public areas.
Binge Drinking
No : Respondents who report they did not drink in the past 30 days and who did not have five or more drinks on an occasion.
Yes : Respondents who report they did drink in the past 30 days and had five or more drinks on one or more occasions in the past month.
Heavy Drinking
Yes: Respondents reported having MORE than 2 drinks/day for MALES and MORE than 1 drink/day for FEMALES.
No: Respondents reported having LESS than or equal to 2 drinks/day for MALES and LESS than or equal to 1 drink/day for FEMALES.
Moderate Physical Activity
Yes: Respondents who report doing moderate physical activity for 30 or more minutes per day, five or more days per week or respondents who report doing vigorous physical activity for 20 or more minutes per day, three or more days per week.
No: Respondents who report no moderate physical activity or less than 30 minutes per day, or less than five days per week and no vigorous physical activity or less than 20 minutes per day, or less than three days per week.
Vigorous Physical Activity
Yes: Respondents who report doing vigorous physical activity for 20 or more minutes per day, three or more days per week.
No: Respondents who report no vigorous physical activity or less than 20 minutes per day, or less than three days per week.
Leisure Time Physical Activity
Yes: Respondents who report any level of physical activity or exercise.
No: Respondents reporting no physical activity or exercise.
Physical Activity Recommendation Status
Meets recommendation: Moderate physical activity for 30 or more minutes per day, five or more days per week or vigorous physical activity for 20 or more minutes per day, three or more days per week.
Some Physical Activity: Do some physical activity, but do not meet recommendations ABOVE.
Physically Inactive: Respondents reporting no physical activity.
History of Any Cardiovascular Diseases (heart attack or coronary heart disease or stroke)
Yes: Respondents who reported having had either heart attack or coronary heart disease or stroke.
No: Respondents who reported not having had heart attack or coronary heart disease or stroke.
Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Per Day
Derived from all questions in the entire fruit and vegetable module.
Currently Taking Multivitamins or Vitamin Pills/Supplements Containing Folic Acid
Yes: Respondents who report using multivitamin or folic acid containing vitamin pills/supplements.
No: Respondents who report using neither multivitamin nor folic acid containing vitamin pills/supplements.
Daily Consumption of Multivitamins or Vitamin Pills/Supplements Containing Folic Acid
Yes: Respondents who report using daily multivitamin or folic acid containing vitamin pills/supplements.
No: Respondents who report not using daily multivitamin or folic acid containing vitamin pills/supplements.
Disability Status
Yes: Respondents who report being limited due to physical, mental or emotional problems or using special equipment or having learning problems or considering himself or herself as having disability.
No: Respondents who do not report being limited due to physical, mental or emotional problems or using special equipment or having learning problems or considering himself or herself as having disability.
Forced to have sex or to do sexual things
Yes: Respondents who report being forced by a stranger or a partner or an ex-partner or an acquaintance to have sex or do sexual things.
No: Respondents who don't report being forced by a stranger or a partner or an ex-partner or an acquaintance to have sex or do sexual things.
Pushed, hit, slapped, kicked, or physically hurt in any other way
Yes: Respondents who report being pushed, hit, slapped, kicked, or physically hurt in any other way by a stranger or a partner or an ex-partner or an acquaintance.
No: Respondents who don't report being pushed, hit, slapped, kicked, or physically hurt in any other way by a stranger or a partner or an ex-partner or an acquaintance.
Strengths and Limitations of the BRFSS Survey Data
There are some significant advantages of the telephone survey methodology, including better quality control over data collection made possible by a computer-assisted-telephone-interviewing system, relatively low cost, and speed of data collection. The BRFSS methodology has been used and evaluated by the CDC and participating states since 1984. The content of the survey questions, questionnaire design, data collection procedures, interviewing techniques, and editing procedures have been carefully developed to improve data quality and lessen the potential for bias. The data collection is ongoing and each year new annual results become available.
One limitation of a telephone survey is the lack of coverage of persons who live in households without a telephone. Households without a telephone are, on average, of lower income. Therefore, for many of the health risks measured, the results are likely to understate the true level of risk in the total population of adults in North Carolina. Since approximately 95 percent of households in North Carolina do have at least one telephone, the degree of understatement is probably not large.
A second limitation is due to the fact that the data are self-reported by the respondents. We expect that respondents tend to underreport health risk behaviors, especially those that are illegal or socially unacceptable.
A third limitation of NC BRFSS survey is that adults who do not speak English are not interviewed, thus particularly households with non-English speaking residents are underrepresented.
