Florida is one of 50 states conducting the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) with financial and technical assistance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This state-based telephone survey is designed to collect data on individual health-related risk behaviors and preventive health practices related to the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the U.S. Findings from the survey are used for health planning, program evaluation, and monitoring health objectives within the Florida Department of Health. The focus population of BRFSS are people 18 years and older, who reside in a Florida household. In Florida, BRFSS started in 1986. Since then, it has been conducted annually.
The Florida BRFSS is currently being conducted. If you receive a phone call from FL Health on behalf of the Florida Department of Health asking you to answer some questions about your health and health practices it is a legitimate phone call. The information gathered is not connected to any personal details that can identify the survey respondents, and answers are completely confidential.
If you have any questions or concerns about the Florida BRFSS, please call 866-779-6122. We appreciate you taking the time to participate in the Florida BRFSS. This survey allows the Department to develop effective health policies and programs for all Floridians that focus on improving the overall health and well-being of the population.
Data and Reports
State Reports
County Reports
2019 Reports by County
Sampling and Weighting Methods
Sampling Methods
Florida is using the disproportionate stratified sampling (DSS) from the 1999 survey. In DSS, phone numbers were drawn from two sets of telephone number blocks, and one adult is selected from one telephone number. First, CDC purchases a list of randomly selected telephone numbers and provides it to each state. Then, there are standard procedures to follow. If there is no answer, the interviewer redials up to 15 times across a period of time. If interviewer reaches a nonworking number or a business, calls to that number stop. If the interviewer reaches a household with more than one adult 18 or older, one of them is randomly selected for the interview.
Stratification
Prior to 2003, the Florida sample was stratified by seven regions, which were groups of counties that were contiguous but otherwise might have little in common with each other. From 2003 through 2006, Florida used three strata groups based on county population size: small (less than 50,000), medium (50,000-299,999) and large (300,000 or more), and a fourth stratum was added from 2004 through 2006 that sample areas with telephone exchanges that are known to have at least 45% minority households. Beginning in 2007, the Florida sample has been stratified by county to ensure more useful estimates at the local level.
Weighting Adjustment
After the data collection is completed, data is cleaned and weighted by CDC. Data weighting is an important statistical process that attempts to remove bias in the sample. BRFSS data set is weighted by density status, geographic region, number of residential telephone numbers, number of adults, age, gender, and race/ethnicity.
Data Analysis and Collection
As we have seen so far, BRFSS is not based on simple random sampling. Because of this fact, we recommend that SAS/SUDAAN software be used to conduct data analysis. Confidence intervals are an important measures of the role of chance.
BRFSS data is collected by calendar year. Since 2000, the Florida Department of Health has contracted out the BRFSS data collection to a survey company. Data are collected through monthly telephone interviews, and the Department of Health regularly monitors interviews to maintain and ensure data quality. At the completion of the interviewing cycle each month, the survey company sends the data to CDC. At the end of the year, the CDC aggregates monthly data for the entire year. The Department of Health usually receives the annual dataset from the CDC in early fall following the survey administration year.
Data Usage and Guidance
BRFSS data is collected and used for planning purposes at all levels of government to develop and improve health programs. Below are examples of how Florida Department of Health programs use BRFSS data.
The Burden of Oral Disease Surveillance Reportย provides a comprehensive overview of Florida’s oral health status, including the prevalence of oral health indicators among various populations and information on risk and protective factors for oral health.ย
The Florida Life Course Indicator Reportย is a comprehensive, state-level report that provides established indicators related to the Life Course Theory calculated for Florida. The goals of the Florida Life Course Indicator Report are to establish a knowledge base about the Life Course Theorgy among public health practitioners and to provide baseline measures to gauge progress as Florida moves forward in incorporating Life Course Theory into its public health efforts.
FLHealth CHARTSย provides a variety of visual tools to help people see trends in the data over time. Check out state and county level BRFSS data at FLHealth CHARTS.ย FLHealthCharts.gov.