Connecticut Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (CT BRFSS) - The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is an ongoing landline and cell phone survey of adults 18 years and older conducted in all states and coordinated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Responses to health-related questions are compiled, and weights are attached to each response, generating population-based estimates of prevalence, incidence, and burden of health outcomes and risk behaviors. The State of Connecticut (CT) has participated in the BRFSS survey since 1989 and the CT BRFSS is now managed within the State of Connecticut Department of Public Health, Health Statistics and Surveillance Section. The questionnaire changes from year to year to address state priorities and decisions about the state-specific questions are determined by an inter-agency CT BRFSS Planning Workgroup based on a set of criteria. For the 2024 CT BRFSS, the Workgroup reached consensus on a survey of 179 questions, including the 91 core questions that all states will ask, plus the following state-specific topics: Healthcare Access; Town residence; Pre-Diabetes; Cancer Survivorships; Caregiver; Tobacco products; Random Child Selection; Childhood Asthma Prevalence; Child questions; Marijuana Use; Industry and Occupation; Family Planning; Private Well Water; Reaction to Race; Safe Storage of Firearms; Hepatitis Treatment; Social Determinants of Health; and the Asthma call back survey. In 2024, it is anticipated that there will be 800 landline interviews and 7,200 cell phone interviews, totaling 8,000 completed interviews. CT expects to meet the CDC target of 70-90% cell-only interviews. The landline sampling design for 2024 includes 9 strata based on Connecticut Planning Regions. The cell sampling design for 2024 consists of 11 strata to include additional minority oversampling in two of nine planning regions (Naugatuck Valley and Western Connecticut Planning regions The CT BRFSS Logic Model has Short, Medium, and Long Term Outcomes and associated activities that will allow the CT BRFSS team to maintain a strong and robust survey throughout the grant period, ensure broad use of the CT BRFSS dataset, and assist programs in translating data results into programmatic action and public health policy. The CT BRFSS team will continue to manage a contractor to conduct the survey and review quality control measures that ensure a survey with the highest level of data quality possible. Data from the CT BRFSS will continue to be incorporated into disease burden documents and fact sheets and are expected to be used for program planning, program evaluation, and tracking objectives of state health plans. Data users of the CT BRFSS will continue to participate in the monthly webinars facilitated by CDC. BRFSS staff will continue to provide technical assistance to CT BRFSS data users and respond to special requests for CT BRFSS summary data. CT BRFSS Strategic Committee will continue to develop a strategic plan and evaluation plan for the survey system. A component of this plan is expected to be activities to identify and highlight the health needs of vulnerable populations in Connecticut, including the elderly/youth, men/women, minority race and ethnic groups, residents of low educational or income status, residents of minority sexual orientation, the disabled, veterans, and Medicaid/Medicare enrollees, as well as people live in rural or urban areas who are at higher risk of having limited access to care. When available, summary data at sub-state geographies will also be reported to turn data into health action.
