Appendix B
Definitions of BRFSS Risk Factors
and Preventive Health Measures
AIDS Knowledge/Attitudes
HIV Test – Respondents, age 18-64, who have never had a test
for HIV
infection.
Chances of
Getting HIV – Respondents, age
18-64, who believe that
their chances of getting infected
with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, are
medium or high.
Teen Condom Use
– Respondents, age 18-64, who would not
encourage
sexually active teenagers to use a condom.
Asthma
Asthma
Awareness – Respondents who report
they were ever told by a
doctor, nurse or other health professional that they had
asthma.
Childhood
Asthma Awareness – Respondents who
report that one or
more children age 17 years and younger living in the
household have
been diagnosed with asthma.
Breast
Exam
Breast Exam (1)
– Female respondents, age 18 and older, who
report
that they have never had a breast
exam by a doctor.
Breast Exam (2)
– Female respondents, age 40 and older, who
report
that they have never had a breast
exam by a doctor.
Breast Exam
Within 2 Years – Female respondents,
age 50 and older,
who report that they have not had a
breast exam within the past two
years.
Cardiovascular
Disease
Heart Attack or
Myocardial Infarction – Respondents who report they
were told by a doctor that they have
had a heart attack or myocardial
infarction.
Stroke – Respondents who report they were told by a doctor
that they
have had a stroke.
Cervical
Cancer
Pap Smear (1) – Female
respondents, age 18 and older who report that
they have never had a Pap smear.
Year 2010 Objective – Target >=97%
females age 18 and older who have
had a Pap smear.
Pap Smear, with
Uterine Cervix (2) – Female
respondents, with uterine
cervix, age 18 and older, who report
that they have never had a Pap
smear.
Pap Smear
Within 3 Years – Female respondents,
with uterine cervix,
age
18 and older, who report that they did not have a Pap smear within
the last three years.
Cholesterol
Screening and Awareness
Cholesterol
Screening (1) – Respondents who have
never had their
cholesterol checked.
Cholesterol
Screening (2) – Respondents who have
not had their
cholesterol checked within the past
five years. Year 2010 Objective -
Target >= 80% who have had their
cholesterol checked within the past five
years.
Cholesterol
Awareness – Respondents who report that their cholesterol
has been checked and they have been
told their cholesterol is high by a
health professional.
Clinical
Breast Exam – See Breast Exam
Colorectal
Cancer Screening
Sigmoidoscopy
– Respondents, age 50 and over, who report they
have
never had a sigmoidoscopy or
colonoscopy. Year 2010 Objective - Target
>= 50% age 50 and over who have
had a sigmoidoscopy/colonoscopy.
Blood Stool
Test – Respondents, age 50 and over,
who report they have
not used a home blood stool kit in
the past two years. Year 2010
Objective - Target >= 50% age 50
and over who have had a blood stool
test.
Diabetes
Diabetes
Awareness – Respondents who report they were ever told by a
doctor that they have
diabetes. Year 2010 Objective - Target >= 80% of
adults with diabetes whose condition has been diagnosed.
Drinking
Status
Current
Drinkers – Respondents who report
they had alcoholic
beverages in the past month.
Binge Drinking
(Acute Drinking) – Respondents who report having had
five or more drinks on an occasion,
one or more times in the past month.
Year 2010 Objective - Target <=6%
of adults engaging in binge drinking
during the past month.
Chronic
Drinking – Respondents who report drinking 60 or more
alcoholic beverages a month (men) or
30 or more alcoholic beverages a
month (women).
Drinking and
Driving – Respondents who report having driven after
having too much to drink, one or
more times in the past month.
Family Planning
Contraceptive Use - Respondents (females less than age 45, males less
than age 60) that do not use contraception to prevent an
unintended
pregnancy. Year
2010 Objective – Target = 100%.
Firearms
Firearms – Respondents who report that they
have firearms in or around
the home that are loaded and unlocked. Year 2010 Objective – Target =
16%.
Fruits and
Vegetables
Fruits and
Vegetables – Respondents who report they are not
consuming five or more servings of
fruits and vegetables a day. Year 2010
Objective - Target >=75% who are
consuming two or more servings of
fruits a day. Year 2010
Objective - Target >=50% who are consuming
three or more servings of vegetables a day.
Health
Insurance
Health
Insurance (1) – Respondents age 18 and older who report they
have no health care coverage.
Health
Insurance (2) – Respondents age 18-64 years who report they
have no health care coverage.
Year 2010 Objective - Target 100% having
coverage.
Health
Status
Activities
Limited – Mean number of days in the
past 30 days when
activities were limited among
respondents reporting days when physical
health or mental health was not
good.
Mental Health
Not Good – Mean number of days in
the past 30 days
when mental health was not good as
reported by respondents.
Physical Health
Not Good – Mean number of days in
the past 30 days
when physical health was not good as
reported by respondents.
Self-Reported
Health Status – Respondents who
report having a general
health status of fair or poor.
Hypertension
Hypertension
Awareness – Respondents who report that their blood
pressure has been checked and they
have been told they have high blood
pressure.
Hypertension
Screening - Respondents who report
their blood pressure
has not been checked within the past two years.
Immunization
Flu Shot
– Respondents, age 65 and older, who report
that they did not
have a flu shot within the past 12
months. Year 2010 Objective – Target
>= 90% who have had a flu shot in
the past 12 months.
Pneumonia
Vaccination – Respondents, age 65
and older, who report
they have never had a pneumonia
vaccination. Year 2010 Objective –
Target >= 90% who have had a pneumonia vaccination.
Mammography
Mammogram (1) – Female
respondents age 18 and older, who report that
they have never had a mammogram.
Mammogram (2)
– Female respondents, age 40 and older, who
report
that they have never had a
mammogram.
Mammogram
Within 2 Years – Female respondents, age 40 and older,
who report that they did not have a
mammogram within the past two
years.
Mammography
and Breast Exam
Mammogram &
Breast Exam – Female respondents, age 40 and older,
who report that they have never had
a mammogram and a breast exam.
Mammogram &
Breast Exam Within 2 Years – Female
respondents,
age 50 and older, who report that
they did not have a mammogram and a
breast exam within the past two
years. Year 2010 Objective – Target >=
70% of women, age 50 and over, who
have had a mammogram and a
breast exam in the preceding two years.
Obesity
Obesity: By
Body Mass Index – Respondents with a
body mass index
(BMI) >= 30.0. BMI is defined as
weight in kilograms divided by height in
meters squared (w/h**2). Year 2010
Objective – Target <=15% at or
above the BMI level of 30.0. This
should be interpreted with extreme
caution since people tend to
under-report their weight. BRFSS may
underestimate the prevalence of
overweight and obesity.
Oral Health
Permanent Teeth Loss - Respondents who report
that they have not had
permanent teeth removed because of tooth decay or gum
disease. Year
2010 Objective – Target = 42%.
Overweight
Overweight: By Body
Mass Index – Respondents with a body mass
index (BMI) between 25.0 and 29.9. BMI is defined as weight in kilograms
divided by height in meters squared (w/h**2). This should be interpreted
with extreme caution since people tend to under-report
their weight.
BRFSS may underestimate the prevalence of overweight and
obesity
Pap Smear - See Cervical Cancer
Prostate Cancer Screening
Digital Rectal Exam – Male respondents, age 40
years and older, who
report they have never had a digital rectal exam.
Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test –
Respondents, age 40 years and
older, who report they have never had a PSA test.
Sigmoidoscopy - See Colorectal Cancer Screening
Smoking
Status
Ever Smoked – Respondents who have smoked at least 100
cigarettes in
their lifetime.
Current Smoker – Respondents who have smoked 100 cigarettes in
their
lifetime and reported smoking
everyday or some days. Year 2010
Objective – Target <= 12% who smoke cigarettes.