Center for Health Data and Analysis

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)

The BRFSS is an annual telephone survey that measures health risk behaviors among adults 18 years and older, including smoking, exercise, diet, alcohol consumption, healthcare coverage, and health status among others.

Graphical and statistical data are provided for the following health risk behaviors:

For Rhode Island data on other health risk behaviors, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The BRFSS is administered in all 50 states and 4 U.S. territories by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) using a standard methodology and questionnaire. BRFSS monitors the prevalence of behavioral risk factors that contribute to the leading causes of sickness (morbidity) and death (mortality) among adults 18 years and older in the United States. Rhode Island has participated in the BRFSS since 1984. Technical Reports for each of the survey years are available from the Center for Health Data and Analysis.

A brief data summary of the results for Rhode Island for each year since 1996 are available annually in Health Risks Among Rhode Island Adults. National data, as well as data from all participating states, are available in the Annual BRFSS Summary Prevalence Report published by CDC. CDC's interactive BRFSS website allows users to select specific data by year, state, and variable and to generate cross tabulations. Select specific data by year, state, and variable and to generate cross tabulations. 
A CDC training module provides an introduction to the use of survey data.