When the Berrien County Health Department, as well as other health and human service organizations, plan for programs, they use local health data to inform their decisions. For example, data may show high rates of obesity or smoking, which leads health officials to plan for programs addressing healthier food or smoking cessation.
One of the most important tools for gathering local data regarding the health and lifestyle of residents is the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey. Information from this survey is a major factor in planning for future public health programs by identifying trends in health. In addition, having local data regarding health and lifestyle issues in Berrien County is essential when requesting funding from state, federal,and non-governmental sources to support community programs.
The Behavioral Risk Factor Survey is a model used by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and by the Michigan Department of Community Health. Berrien County has done this survey every three years since 2002. The information in the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey is collected by taking a random sample of adult Berrien County residents and using a phone survey where residents are interviewed on various health and lifestyle factors.
Information collected in the survey includes household characteristics such as income, health conditions such as diabetes or heart disease, and health behaviors such as exercise, smoking and diet.
Interviewers have begun contacting residents by phone for the 2011 Behavioral Risk Factor Survey, and the health department asks that those who are contacted by an interviewer take a few minutes to complete the survey. Having a higher number of responses allows a more accurate picture of the health status of the entire community, so answers to these questions are extremely valuable.
The information collected in this survey is only used for the purposes of completing a health assessment of Berrien County. No personal information is collected, so it is not possible for any individual respondent to be identified with their responses. Interviewers for this survey will not be asking participants for any personal or identifying information such as a Social Security numbers, credit card or bank account information.
For more information or to obtain information from the 2008 Behavior Risk Factor Survey, contact the health department at 926-7121 or visit www.bchdmi.org.