As
a result, the BRFSS now estimates 368,200 Utahns between the ages of 18-64, or
21.5 percent of this population, did not have health insurance in 2010. Under the old methodology, the estimate for
this same population was 247,100 uninsured 18- to 64-year-olds, or 14.4 percent
of that population.
Another
health indicator impacted by the new methodology is Utah’s adult smoking
rate. The new BRFSS estimates 220,000
Utah adults, or 11.2 percent of this population are smokers. The old methodology put the estimate on adult
smokers at 175,000, or 8.8 percent of the adult population. This improved
accuracy is critical for preventing tobacco use and providing services to those
who want to quit.
Including
cell phone users in the survey accounts for the increasing number of Utah
households without landline phones, and also addresses an under-representation
of males, adults with less formal education or lower household income, and
racial and ethnic minorities.
However,
the UDOH and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which
oversees the survey, are quick to caution against misinterpretation of the
changes in estimates that may result from the new survey
design.
“It’s
important to realize that shifts in prevalence estimates for 2011 might not
represent actual changes in trends in risk factor prevalence in the population,
but instead the changes may simply reflect improved methods of measuring these
risk factors,” said Michael Friedrichs, UDOH Bureau of Health Promotion
Epidemiologist.
In
the coming months, the UDOH will be evaluating the effects of these changes on
other public health indicators and publishing updated estimates online and in
printed reports.
“Having
more accurate data will allow us and our partners throughout the state to better
target our efforts to help make Utah the healthiest state,” said UDOH Executive
Director Dr. David Patton.
The
BRFSS is a household health survey overseen by the CDC and conducted by
individual state health departments. For
more information on these methodology changes, please visit http://health.utah.gov/opha/publications/hsu/1206_BRFSSCell.pdf. The CDC also released a report outlining the
changes to the BRFSS and showing their effect on national level estimates of
some health indicators. The report can
be found at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6122a3.htm?s_cid=mm6122a3_w.
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Media Contact:
Michael FriedrichsUtah Department of Health
801-538-6244