The state of the nation’s health: Giant store of federal survey data

Summary: “The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is the nation’s premier system of health-related telephone surveys that collect state data about U.S. residents regarding their health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions, and use of preventive services,” according to the web site of the survey, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Established in 1984 with 15 states, BRFSS now collects data in all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia and three U.S. territories. BRFSS completes more than 400,000 adult interviews each year, making it the largest continuously conducted health survey system in the world.”“Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.