Thursday, April 3, 2025
4/3/2025
New Mexico Behavioral Risk Factor System (BRFSS) - The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is an ongoing, nationwide surveillance system that collects state data about U.S. residents regarding their health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions, and use of prevention services. This project is a telephone survey that was developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to monitor state-level prevalence of the major behavioral risk factors associated with premature morbidity and mortality. CDC established the BRFSS in 1984, New Mexico began participating in 1986, and continues to be a successful participating state in behavioral risk factor data collection. New Mexico has most recently experienced changes in the ability to reach respondents on both cell phones and landlines due to the blocking of 1-800 numbers against telemarketers, like the rest of the nation. In June 2019, the NMBRFSS increased the sample size of telephone numbers to attempt to reach more respondents. This helped continue to work toward NM’s Goal #1 of 6,500 BRFSS interviews in the grant year that ended in December 2019. The state began to reach more recipients prior to COVID-19 by changing the outgoing number displayed on the intended respondent’s telephones. The new number was not blocked by cellphone providers, thus allowing the interviewers to reach respondents without being automatically blocked. BRFSS data requests in Goal #2 have increased and we continue to address our previous challenges of expanding promotion of the use of BRFSS data outside of NM Department of Health entities. The collaboration with the New Mexico Human Services Department, Office of Substance Abuse Prevention office has worked and is expected to continue to work well in sharing and ultimately using timely surveillance. The most recent annual BRFSS report (2018) will be shared and discussed with Substance Abuse Prevention providers at the July 2020 BRFSS Planning Group public meeting. The success of Goal #3, to Maintain the active involvement of the BRFSS Planning group, is in account of New Mexico’s dedicated Planning Group members and the well-established state-added question selection process. New Mexico continues to look for long-term funding for state-added questions addressing three areas of long-recognized disparity, (1) Access to Health care, (2) Diabetes, and (3) Behavioral Risk Factors associated with health outcomes such as suicide attempts and misuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. A Skype option has been added to the Planning Group meeting to encourage expanded local community participation. New Mexico continues to fill vacant positions as quickly as possible as described in Goal #4. The state will continue to work on implementation and improvement of goals to support programs that currently use BRFSS data as well as health outcome improvements that could be informed by the BRFSS across the state through improved collaboration between state and local partners.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).