| Report Area | Survey Population (Adults Age 18+) |
Total Adults Overweight | Percent Adults Overweight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County, PA | 116,571 | 35,200 | 30.2% |
| Pennsylvania | 9,320,559 | 3,350,133 | 35.9% |
| United States | 224,991,207 | 80,499,532 | 35.8% |
Adults Overweight, Percent by Race / Ethnicity
| Report Area | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic Other Race | Hispanic or Latino |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 35.83% | 36.95% | 39.8% | 35.12% |
| United States | 35.85% | 34.31% | 31.61% | 38.43% |
Overweight
Data Background
The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is
“... a collaborative project of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and U.S. states and territories. The BRFSS, administered and supported by CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Branch, is an ongoing data collection program designed to measure behavioral risk factors for the adult population (18 years of age or older) living in households. ”
Citation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services. Overview: BRFSS 2010.
The health characteristics estimated from the BRFSS include data pertaining to health behaviors, chronic conditions, access and utilization of healthcare, and general health. Surveys are administered to populations at the state level and then delivered to the CDC. BRFSS annual survey data are publically available and maintained on the CDC's BRFSS Annual Survey Data web page.
For more information on the BRFSS survey methods, or to obtain a copy of the survey questionnaires, please visit the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System home page.
Methodology
Indicator percentages are acquired from analysis of annual survey data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) for years 2011-2012. Percentages are generated based on valid responses to the following questions: " About how much do you weigh without shoes?" and "About how tall are you without shoes?"
These responses were combined to determine a respondent's Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. Persons with a BMI from 25.0-29.9 are considered overweight. Data only pertain to the non-institutionalized population aged 18 and up and are weighted to reflect the total county population using the methods described in the BRFSS Comparability of Data documentation.
Additional detailed information about the BRFSS, including questionnaires, data collection procedures, and data processing methodologies are available on the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System home page.
Notes
Data Suppression
Suppression is used to avoid misinterpretation when rates are unstable. Data is suppressed when the total number of persons sampled (for each geographic area / population group combination) over the survey period is less than 20. Data are unreliable when the total number of persons sampled over the survey period is less than 50. Confidence intervals are available when exploring the data through the map viewer.
Race and Ethnicity
Race and ethnicity (Hispanic origin) are collected as two separate categories in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) interview surveys based on methods established by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in 1997. Before the raw survey data files are released, self-identified race and ethnicity variables are recoded by National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) analysts into the following categories: White, Non-Hispanic; Black, Non-Hispanic; Multiple Race, Non-Hispanic; Other Race, Non-Hispanic; and Hispanic or Latino. Due to sample size constraints, race and ethnicity statistics are only reported at the state and national levels.
Courtesy: Community Commons, <www.communitycommons.org>, August 2016