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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 statewide respondents for a question, the county-level results by demographics are suppressed. Moreover, if there are fewer than 500 statewide respondents, 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.
Risk Factors and Calculated Variables Presented in the 2002 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.
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.
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.
Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Per Day
Derived from all questions in the entire fruit and vegetable module.
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.
Ever sexually assaulted
Yes: Respondents who report ever 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 ever being forced by a stranger or a partner or an ex-partner or an acquaintance to have sex or do sexual things.
Ever Physically Assaulted
Yes: Respondents who report ever 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 ever 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.
