2010 BRFSS Data and Documentation Now Available

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Behavioral Surveillance Branch is pleased to announce the release of the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data. The BRFSS is a unique, state-based surveillance system active in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U. S. Virgin Islands, and Guam. Information on health risk behaviors, clinical preventive health practices, and health care access (primarily related to chronic disease and injury) is obtained from a representative sample of noninstitutionalized adults aged 18 years and older in each state. The BRFSS provides flexible, timely, and ongoing data collection that allows for state-to-state and state-to-nation comparisons. State-specific data including racial-and-ethnic-specific data from the BRFSS provide a sound basis for developing and evaluating public health programs, including programs targeted to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in health risks. The BRFSS is the largest telephone-based surveillance system in the world, with more than 450,000 interviews conducted in 2010.

The 2010 BRFSS data and documentation files are available at http://www.cdc.gov/brfss/technical_infodata/surveydata/2010.htm

For more information about the data, please contact the BRFSS office at (404) 498-0590.