Behavioral Risk Factor Prevalence Surveys -- United
States, Second Quarter 1982
During the second quarter of 1982, eight States (Delaware,
Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Montana, New Jersey, North Carolina, and
Ohio) and the District of Columbia conducted prevalence surveys of
major behavioral risk factors among their adult populations through
random-digit-dialing telephone surveys (Table 2). A standard
questionnaire was used in six of these states and the District of
Columbia. These self-reported data were adjusted for sex and
weighted
according to the respondents' probability of selection. The data
presented in Table 2 are consistent with findings from similar
state-based behavioral risk factor surveys conducted in the first
quarter of 1982 (1).
Use of a standard questionnaire with questions comparable to
those
used in national surveys allows these states to compare the
prevalence
of risks in their adult populations to national levels of risks.
For
example, the proportion of adults reporting cigarette smoking in
these
eight states and the District of Columbia ranges from a low of
23.4%
in Kansas to a high of 37.1% in Kentucky and North Carolina.
Nationally, the most recent report (1980) shows that the level of
cigarette smoking is 32.4% (2). Chronic heavy drinking ranges from
3.8% in Ohio to 9.7% in Delaware and the District of Columbia.
Nationally, approximately 9.0% of the adult population reports a
chronic, heavy intake of alcoholic beverages (3). For people ages
20
to 74 years, approximately 14% of men and 24% of women nationally
meet
the criterion for obesity (120% of ideal weight) (4). These states
report levels of obesity in men ranging from 17.4% in the District
of
Columbia to 27.6% in Ohio. For women, these states report obesity
ranging from 16.7% in Montana to 28.9% in the District of Columbia.
Reported by BL Johnson, Office of Health Education, Delaware Div of
Public Health; SR Ross-Larson, Preventive Health Svcs
Administration,
Washington, DC Dept of Human Svcs; RF McClain, Div of Health
Education, Indiana State Board of Health; VL Lockhart, Bureau of
Health Education, Kansas Dept of Health and Environment; RT Ford,
Div
of Local Health, Kentucky Dept for Health Services; RW Moon, Health
Services and Medical Facilities Div, Montana Dept of Health and
Environmental Sciences; RS Ulinsky, Local Health and Regional
Operations, New Jersey State Dept of Health; ML Cosby, Adult Health
Section, North Carolina Div of Health Svcs; TJ Halpin, MD, State
Epidemiologist, Ohio Dept of Health; Div of Nutrition, Center for
Health Promotion and Education, CDC.
References
CDC. Behavioral risk factor prevalence surveys -- United
States,
first quarter 1982. MMWR 1983;32:141-3.
National Center for Health Statistics. National health
interview
survey, 1980. Hyattsville, Maryland: National Center for
Health
Statistics, 1980.
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Alcohol,
Drug
Abuse, and Mental Health Administration. Fourth special report
to
the U.S. Congress on alcohol and health. Rockville, Maryland:
Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration, January
1981;1.
U.S. Public Health Service. Promoting health/preventing
disease:
objectives for the nation. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Public
Health
Service, 1980;61,67-8,73,79.
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