Survey finds smoking down, obesity up in N.C.
North Carolina Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)
2004 survey data are now available on the Web at www.schs.state.nc.us/SCHS/about/programs/brfss/index.html.
The BRFSS is a random telephone survey of U.S. residents, age 18
and older, in households with telephones.
North Carolina’s BRFSS Program conducted a record 15,053 interviews
in both English and Spanish in 2004, making it the second largest
state-based health survey in the nation. The sample size was large
enough to provide estimates of health indicators such as obesity,
smoking, asthma, and diabetes for each major minority group in the
state: African Americans, American Indians, Asians, and Hispanics,
as well as for whites.
The 2004 statewide results are provided by sex, race, Hispanic origin
and language (English, Spanish-only), age group, education level,
household income, disability status, veteran status, county, region,
and more. Local-level data are available for 22 of the largest counties
and on a regional basis for the remaining 78 counties.
Sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
the BRFSS is the longest-running and largest telephone health survey
in the world. The North Carolina Division of Public Health has participated
in the BRFSS since 1987.
Selected Highlights from the 2004 BRFSS Survey
- The good news is that fewer North Carolina adults—22.5%—smoked
cigarettes in 2004 compared to 2003, continuing a modest decline
that began in 2002. Approximately 150,000 fewer adults reported
smoking cigarettes in 2004 than in the previous year. Smoking
prevalence
was highest among adults with less than a high school education.
More people in rural areas reported smoking compared to those
in urban areas.
- The bad news is that prevalence of both obesity and overweight
increased from 2003 to 2004. Approximately two-thirds of the
adult population was overweight or obese in 2004, about 120,000
more adults
than the year before. The adult male obesity rate caught up with
the rate for adult females, with about 25 percent of each classified
as obese. The prevalence of obesity was much higher among Native
Americans and African Americans than among whites.
- Diabetes prevalence increased 19 percent in 2004, from 8.1
percent of adults in 2003 to 9.6 percent in 2004. The survey
found there
were 100,000 more adult diabetics in 2004 than in 2003. In addition,
approximately 60,000 people reported to have borderline diabetes.
Diabetes prevalence has been steadily increasing for many years
across all socio-demographic groups. Diabetes was more prevalent
among African
Americans (13.7 percent) and Native Americans (10.2 percent)
than among whites (9.1 percent).
- Sixteen percent of adults were contacted by a collection agency
about owing money for medical bills, and one in five, or 20 percent,
of North Carolina adults had problems paying their medical bills.
- The rate of ever having a sigmoidoscopy/colonoscopy exam (used
for colorectal cancer screening) increased significantly from
47.7 percent in 2002 to 55.1 percent in 2004 for adults ages
50 and older.
- An estimated one million North Carolina adults under age 65
(one in five adults) had no health insurance coverage. The rate
of no
health insurance coverage did not change between 2003 and 2004.
Minorities had much higher rates of no health insurance coverage
(20.6 percent
among African Americans and 26.7 percent among American Indians,
compared to 12 percent among whites), possibly contributing to
racial disparities in health status in North Carolina. Nearly
60 percent
of Hispanics reported having no health insurance.
Complete results and more highlights are posted on the Web at www.schs.state.nc.us/SCHS/about/programs/brfss/index.html.
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