Answer the Call for Health!

The Somerset County Public Health Telephone Survey

Summer 2006

 Public Health Telephone Survey Flyer/ Poster

What is The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS)?

The BRFSS is a telephone health survey developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  It asks a variety of questions related to diet, exercise, tobacco use, immunization status, and others health topics, as well as questions about individual health behaviors.  The survey is completely anonymous.

National research repeatedly shows that personal health behaviors play a major role in premature morbidity and mortality; in fact almost half of all deaths in the United States are caused by unhealthy behaviors.  The basic philosophy in conducting the BRFSS is to collect data on actual behaviors, rather than on attitudes or knowledge, that would be especially useful for planning, initiating, supporting, and evaluating health promotion and disease prevention programs.

 ‘More Information on the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey’

 

Why do we need a county-based BRFSS?

Although there is national and state information available from prior BRFSS data, identifying health behaviors at the county level will provide a ‘snapshot’ of current health practices and activities in Somerset County so that community organizations and health care providers understand the specific health care needs and concerns of Somerset County residents and tailor more effective health promotion programs and hopefully, reduce health disparities by justifying the need for services.  

 Obtaining this baseline data allows for numerous benefits, including

·        The development of targeted health-improvement interventions

·        A benchmark against which to evaluate the effectiveness of those interventions

·        Quantifiable, reliable data on which to base future grant requests

·        A more responsible, efficient use of limited human and financial resources

·        Provide pertinent data that will be a cornerstone to developing a Community Health Improvement Plan  (CHIP)

 

Who is Initiating the County BRFSS?

The Somerset County Health Officers Association (SCHOA) is spearheading this effort in Somerset County. Under the MAPP Process , the SCHOA is also the Governmental Public Health Partnership (GPHP) which serves as the ‘steering committee’ for the Community Public Health Partnership (CPHP) will include a list of all CPHP members for a separate webpage.  Members of the Somerset County CPHP include the Somerset County Department of Health, Somerset Medical Center, Somerset County Business Partnership, other county and local health related agencies, and numerous non- profit organizations; the Somerset County United Way and the Women’s Health and Counseling Center, for example, have been active partners to this community initiative.  Each organization has an interest in the well being of Somerset County residents.  Data from the County BRFSS will be shared with all CPHP agencies as well as the general public.  Information will be made available by Fall, 2006.

Who is conducting the BRFSS in Somerset County?

Holleran Consulting  will conduct the Somerset County BRFSS.  Holleran is a research based consulting firm with years of experience conducting local BRFSS studies throughout New Jersey.  Holleran specializes in survey development, data collection, analysis, and reporting.

 The goal in Somerset County is to conduct this random telephone survey by calling approximately 2,000 adult residents.

 When will it begin?

The project will begin late May, 2006 and continue throughout the summer. 

 Who will be called?

It is a random-digit, anonymous phone survey of adults in Somerset County, eighteen years of age and older.

How are calls distributed?

Calls in the county are determined using the most recent census data, zip code information and by population per municipality.  Oversampling in certain areas of the county will be conducted to represent hard to reach/ special needs populations. 

 Calls will be conducted in English and Spanish. 

 Who can I contact for more information?

For more information, call the Somerset County Department of Health at 908.231.7155 during regular business hours, 8:30 Am- 4:30 PM, Monday to Friday.