Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)

• Purpose: To measure health risk behaviors among adults 18 years and older.
• Key Information: general health status, asthma, diabetes, weight, physical activity, tobacco use, fruit and vegetable consumption, alcohol use, health care coverage, oral health, cancer screening, immunization, mental health, disability, blood pressure, arthritis, and quality of life. 
• Collection Period: Since 1997 annually

Rhode Island Numbers

• Adults ages 18 to 64 without health insurance are at higher risk than the insured for each of the 14 indicators examined (more)
• Nine of every 100 adults in Rhode Island, or roughly 80,000 persons, currently has moderate to severe depression (more)
• There has been a statistically significant upward trend in diabetes prevalence, from 5.4% in 1993 to 7.2% in 2007. This is a 33% increase in the number of Rhode Island adults with diabetes, from about 42,000 in 1993 to about 60,000 in 2007 (more)

Adult Health Conditions and Risk Factors

Source: Health Status Behavior Health Risk Among Rhode Island Adults in 2008, figure 1