The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is a landline and cell phone health survey conducted in all eight city wards to an estimated 4,000 Washington, DC residents annually. - Washington, DC, is a remarkable city that offers a mix of experiences that are hard to find elsewhere. It's a federal city where you can feel the energy and excitement of an international metropolis while enjoying the charm of a tourist destination and the richness of a nation's history. Despite its cosmopolitan nature, DC still retains a small-town feel that makes it truly unique. It's a city that's full of complex political, economic, and social issues, but it's also a city that's steeped in fascinating local history. Washington, DC, has something to offer everyone. As residents refer to it, the District is relatively compact, with distinctive neighborhoods that you can explore easily by foot, bike, cab, or Metro. DC is divided into eight city wards and four quadrants. According to the 2020 Decennial Census, the population of DC was 678,972. Of this population, 46.2% were White, 45.0% were Black or African American, 4.7% were Asian, 0.7% were American Indian and Alaska Native, and 11.7% were Hispanic or Latino, 92.7% of DC residents aged 25 years or older had earned a high school degree or higher, and 65.4% had earned a bachelor's degree or higher (2022 ACS). The median household income (2018-2022, Census) was $101,027 (2022 ACS), and 13.3% of the population lived at or below the poverty level. The foreign-born population in the DC (2018-2022, Census) was 13.4%. Residents who identified as Lesbian, Gay, or Bisexual were 11.6%, and those who identified as transgender were 0.5% (2018-2021, DC BRFSS). The District of Columbia Department of Health (DC Health) mission is to promote health, wellness, and equity and protect the safety of residents, visitors, and those doing business in the nation’s capital. The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is essential to that mission by providing data that aid in public health action, which can measure and assess health-related attitudes, knowledge, and behavior that affect the stability of residents’ health and increase vulnerability to illness. The BRFSS collects data on chronic diseases, injuries, and preventable infectious diseases, which are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States. During this five-year cooperative agreement, the DC BRFSS will continue to focus on serving the adult DC population by educating residents on the DC BRFSS and developing targeted marketing to increase two populations often underrepresented in health reporting: Asian and LGBTQ+ communities. The DC BRFSS is seeking financial support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through the BRFSS, Notice of Funding Opportunity Number CDC-RFA-DP-24-0023, to conduct the following: 1) implement the BRFSS core, optional module, and state-added questions to 4,000 DC residents in all eight city wards, 2) use a RDD Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing System (CATI) to conduct DC BRFSS interviews, 3) submit completed data files monthly to the CDC and submit requests for sample quarterly, 4) update DC BRFSS Health Stat Query System annually and within 10 to 15 business days after CDC releases their public dataset, 5) develop two topic-specific reports annually, 6) participate in and research pilots to advance the utility of data collection, 7) develop an LGBTQ+ report and conduct a Asian data needs assessment 8) create direct marketing to increase survey participation among underrepresented communities, 9) convene quarterly meetings (BRFSS, LGBTQ+ and Asian), 10) evaluate and present the progress and implementation of the grant strategic activities to community partners, and 11) increase timely analysis and dissemination of BRFSS data.
