Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

Personal health behaviors — such as cigarette smoking, excessive drinking, poor eating habits, or lack of exercise — have a major impact on the health of the population and contribute to the leading causes of disease and premature death.

Vermont tracks risk behaviors using a telephone survey of adults called the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS). The results are used to plan, support, and evaluate health promotion and disease prevention programs. These are used to track Department of Health goals (e.g. Healthy Vermonters 2010), and many other BRFSS data reports.

Since 1990, Vermont, along with the 49 other states and three territories, has participated in the BRFSS with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC provides the Vermont Department of Health with funding each year to carry out the survey. Currently, ICF Macro in Burlington, Vermont and Plattsburgh, New York is the interviewing contractor for the Vermont BRFSS.

Over 7,000 Vermonters are randomly and anonymously selected and called annually. An adult (18 or older) in the household is asked a uniform set of questions. The results are weighted to represent the adult population of the state.

Beginning in 2009, Vermont started interviewing adult residents on cellular telephones as well as landline telephones.  This change ensures the survey is conducted among a representative sample of Vermont adults and was made due to changing telephone patterns with more households using primarily cellular telephones. 

BRFSS Questions

Contact

For information about the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, please contact:

Jessie Brosseau, M.P.H.
Program Coordinator
Telephone: 802-863-7663
E-mail: jessie.brosseau@ahs.state.vt.us

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