Behavioral Risk

BRFSS (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System) is the nation's premier system of health-related telephone surveys conducted by the CDC and state health departments. Established in 1984, it collects state-level data on US adult residents regarding health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions, and use of preventive services. Conducts over 400,000 interviews annually across all 50 states, DC, and US territories. Topics include: high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, asthma, BMI/obesity, smoking/tobacco use, alcohol consumption, physical activity, diet, cancer screening (breast, cervical, colorectal), immunizations, HIV/AIDS, mental health, and healthcare access. Data includes demographic variables (age, sex, race/ethnicity, income, education) and survey weights for population-representative estimates. Completely free, publicly available on the CDC website — no registration or data use agreement required. Available in SAS, ASCII, and CSV formats. Often used alongside NHANES for complementary population health analyses (BRFSS = larger sample, broader coverage; NHANES = deeper phenotyping with physical exams and lab measurements).

BRFSS, CDC, behavioral risk, telephone survey, public health, chronic disease, risk factors, US surveillance