Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

Have you received a call from the Bureau for Public Health that goes something like this?

"Hi my name is Bob and I work for the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, Bureau for Public Health. We work in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and we are calling to do a health survey to ask you questions on health and health practices."

If so, it is a legal survey and not a SPAM call. This survey is voluntary and you don't have to answer any questions you do not want to.  WVBRFSS has operated on a federal grant since 1984.  These health questions help with modifying or creating programs designed to help the residents of West Virginia improve their health and well being.  All 50 states and territories conduct this survey and West Virginia data are combined with other states to produce national health data. 

If you receive a call from 304-352-6542, please answer and help West Virginia state programs improve their services for residents. 

Using data collected from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), the Statistical Services branch produces annual reports that include statistics on a range of risk factors affecting the health of West Virginia residents. The reports serve as a resource for stakeholders such as governments, schools, and community groups helping to improve the health of West Virginia.  The reports are accessible below. 

Graphs displaying behavioral risk, tobacco, and injury statistics drawn from the BRFSS data and annual reports are available under Most Requested Statistics.

The BRFSS data are collected annually through a telephone survey (landline and cellphone). All 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and three U.S. territories conduct the survey in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The survey participants answer health-related questions including standard questions about chronic health conditions, risk behaviors, and use of services. States also have the option to include modules on special topics with particular health and/or policy relevance such as sun exposure, menu labeling, pre-diabetes, and consumption of sugar sweetened beverages. The CDC provides the questionnaires and modules for past surveys here.

General Health

More than one-fourth of West Virginia adults (26.3%) considered their health to be either fair or poor which ranked the State 2nd highest in the nation.  Fair or poor health was most common among adults aged 55-64, those with less than a high school education, and those who have an annual household income of less than $15,000.  West Virginia also ranked highest in the nation for the prevalence of poor physical health, poor mental health, and activity limitations due to poor physical or mental health.

Risk Factors

The prevalence of obesity in West Virginia was 39.5%, which was the highest in the nation.  More than one-fourth of West Virginia adults (28.2%) did not participate in leisure-time physical activity or exercise, which ranked West Virginia 10th highest in the nation.  Over one-fourth of adults (25.2%) currently smoke cigarettes every day or some days, which ranked West Virginia the highest nationally.  The prevalence of current smoking was highest among those aged 25-34, those with less than a high school education, and those with an annual household income of less than $15,000.  The West Virginia heavy drinking prevalence was 4.2%, which was the 3rd lowest in the nation.  The prevalence of binge drinking among West Virginia adults was 12.1%, also the 2nd lowest in the nation.

Preventive Practices

More than half of West Virginia adults had a dental visit in the past year (55.3%), which was the 2nd lowest in the nation.   Among West Virginia adults who do not have diabetes, 62.8% have had a diabetes test in the past 3 years.  Nearly one-third of West Virginia adults (30.5%) have been tested for HIV.  About 42.6% of all adults and 63.4% of seniors had a flu vaccination in the past 12 months.  The prevalence of ever had a pneumonia vaccination was 38.9% among all adults and 73.0% among those aged 65 and older.  The prevalence of had a mammogram in the past 2 years among women aged 50-74 was 75.0%, similar to the U.S. prevalence.  The prevalence of had a Pap test in the past 3 years among women aged 21-65 was 80.2%, similar to the U.S. prevalence.  More than two-thirds of West Virginia adults aged 50-75 had at least one of the recommended colorectal cancer screenings (68.1%), which was similar to the U.S. prevalence.

Chronic Diseases

W​est Virginia ranked the highest in the nation in the prevalence of heart attack (8.6%) and coronary heart disease (8.3%) and 4th highest in the nation in the prevalence of stroke (4.4%).  The overall cardiovascular disease prevalence was highest in the nation at 15.5%.  The prevalence of cardiovascular disease was highest among men, those aged 65 and older, those with less than a high school education, and those with an annual household income less than $15,000.  More than 1 in 10 West Virginia adults had diabetes (16.2%), which ranked West Virginia the highest nationally.  Approximately 11.8% of West Virginia adults had borderline or pre-diabetes.  About 1 in 7 West Virginia adults had been diagnosed with cancer (14.1%), which ranked West Virginia the 6th highest for overall cancer prevalence.  Approximately 16.3% of West Virginia adults have ever been diagnosed with asthma and 12.3% of West Virginia adults currently had asthma.  The prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD in West Virginia was 15.3% which was highest in the nation.  More than 1 in 3 West Virginia adults had arthritis (40.1%) which ranked West Virginia the highest in the nation.  The prevalence of kidney disease in West Virginia was 4.6% and was the highest in the nation.  About 26.6% of West Virginia adults had depression which ranked the state the highest in the nation.  The prevalence of depression was significantly higher among women than men and was highest among those aged 45-54, those with less than a high school education, and those with an annual household income less than $15,000.

The reports (links below) are a resource for those helping to shape the health of West Virginia. The reports begin with an executive summary and a highlight of key findings for select health and/or risk factors.  The most recent reports have sections on Health Status, Risk Factors, Preventive Practices, and Chronic Diseases with chapters for individual topics within each section.

2018 BRFSS Report​