2023 BRFSS Survey Results: North Carolina

Cholesterol Awareness

Are you currently taking medicine prescribed by a doctor or other health professional for your cholesterol?*

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  Total
Respond.^		 Yes No
N % C.I.(95%) N % C.I.(95%)
North Carolina 3,625 1,088 25.8 23.9-27.8 2,537 74.2 72.2-76.1
MALES 1,558 493 28.6 25.6-31.8 1,065 71.4 68.2-74.4
RACE
Non-Hispanic White 955 319 30.2 26.5-34.1 636 69.8 65.9-73.5
Non-Hispanic Black 258 83 33.1 25.8-41.4 175 66.9 58.6-74.2
Other 316 81 15.1 10.1-22.0 235 84.9 78.0-89.9
AGE
18-34 280 *** *** *** 275 98.1 95.3-99.2
35-44 218 22 12.5 7.3-20.8 196 87.5 79.2-92.7
45-54 237 67 27.0 19.8-35.7 170 73.0 64.3-80.2
55-64 307 112 40.0 32.0-48.5 195 60.0 51.5-68.0
65-74 297 152 52.3 44.2-60.3 145 47.7 39.7-55.8
75+ 193 129 66.3 56.6-74.8 64 33.7 25.2-43.4
EDUCATION
Less Than H.S. 133 *** *** *** *** *** ***
H.S. or G.E.D. 325 105 27.3 21.6-33.9 220 72.7 66.1-78.4
Some Post-H.S. 396 126 29.1 23.5-35.5 270 70.9 64.5-76.5
College Graduate 697 210 27.9 23.7-32.7 487 72.1 67.3-76.3
HOUSEHOLD INCOME
Less than $15,000 62 *** *** *** *** *** ***
$15,000- 24,999 71 *** *** *** *** *** ***
$25,000- 34,999 123 *** *** *** *** *** ***
$35,000- 49,999 187 58 29.7 21.2-39.8 129 70.3 60.2-78.8
$50,000- 74,999 213 72 27.9 20.8-36.4 141 72.1 63.6-79.2
$75,000+ 626 177 27.4 23.0-32.2 449 72.6 67.8-77.0
FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY
Yes 474 202 39.0 32.9-45.5 272 61.0 54.5-67.1
No 1,032 273 23.7 20.3-27.5 759 76.3 72.5-79.7
VETERAN STATUS
Veteran 393 175 42.3 35.6-49.3 218 57.7 50.7-64.4
Non-Veteran 1,158 316 24.7 21.5-28.2 842 75.3 71.8-78.5
RURAL-URBAN RESIDENT1
Urban 493 121 22.6 18.4-27.5 372 77.4 72.5-81.6
Regional City or Suburban County 409 124 27.6 22.2-33.7 285 72.4 66.3-77.8
Rural 656 248 35.2 29.8-41.0 408 64.8 59.0-70.2
EMPLOYMENT STATUS
Employed or Self-Employed 912 185 19.8 16.5-23.5 727 80.2 76.5-83.5
Unemployed 63 *** *** *** *** *** ***
Retired 444 242 53.7 46.1-61.2 202 46.3 38.8-53.9
Unable to Work 88 *** *** *** *** *** ***
Other not in Labor Force 33 *** *** *** *** *** ***
POVERTY LEVEL2
Less than 50% 10 *** *** *** *** *** ***
50% to 100% 86 *** *** *** *** *** ***
101% to 150% 82 14 11.2 4.9-23.7 68 88.8 76.3-95.1
151% to 200% 110 *** *** *** *** *** ***
More than 200% 965 310 30.2 26.4-34.2 655 69.8 65.8-73.6
NC DEPT OF COMMERCE COUNTY TIER3
Most Distressed Counties (Tier 1) 475 171 35.0 28.6-41.9 304 65.0 58.1-71.4
Less Distressed Counties (Tier 2) 447 158 29.8 24.4-35.7 289 70.2 64.3-75.6
Least Distressed Counties (Tier 3) 636 164 24.4 20.3-29.1 472 75.6 70.9-79.7
CDC SOCIAL VULNERABILITY INDEX4
1st Quartile - Least Vulnerable 512 154 28.6 23.7-34.1 358 71.4 65.9-76.3
2nd Quartile 420 120 23.7 19.1-29.1 300 76.3 70.9-80.9
3rd Quartile 373 115 30.1 24.2-36.7 258 69.9 63.3-75.8
4th Quartile - Most Vulnerable 253 *** *** *** *** *** ***

Back to Cholesterol Awareness.

*Asked of respondents who report having had their cholesterol checked.
The results are not comparable to those from surveys conducted prior to 2020. Before 2020, this question was only asked of respondents who had a cholesterol test and were told their cholesterol levels were high. However, in the 2021 and 2023 versions, the question was asked of respondents who had a cholesterol test regardless of their cholesterol levels. As a result, the question was posed to many more respondents in 2021 and 2023, leading to a considerably smaller percentage reporting the use of cholesterol medication.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to changes in the weighting methodology and other factors, results from 2023
are NOT comparable to 2010 and earlier years.

***The estimate was suppressed because it did not meet statistical reliability standards. See BRFSS 2023 Annual Results Technical Notes for more details.

1Based on U.S Census Bureau population estimates at the county level. Please see the BRFSS 2023 Annual Results Technical Notes for details.

2Based on 2023 U.S Census Bureau poverty threshold incomes. Please see the BRFSS 2023 Annual Results Technical Notes for details.

3NC Dept. of Commerce County Tier Classification, based on respondent’s county of residence.
Please see the BRFSS 2023 Annual Results Technical Notes for details.

4Quartile of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Social Vulnerability Index
(https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/placeandhealth/svi/index.html) for respondent’s county of residence.
Please see the BRFSS 2023 Annual Results Technical Notes for details.

^Use caution in interpreting cell sizes less than 50, % = Percentage, C.I.(95%) = Confidence Interval (at 95 percent probability level).
Percentages are weighted to population characteristics and therefore cannot be calculated exactly from the numbers in this table.

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This page was generated on 07APR25.

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