This Issue Brief reviews surveys that provide estimates of the uninsured population in the United States. It includes a discussion of why the estimates from the various surveys differ. It is important to understand the differences in the estimates of the uninsured population. The projected cost of implementing policy proposals depends on the estimates of the number of people affected by the pro...

INTRODUCTION Depression is among the most prevalent and treatable diseases, and it is associated with cigarette smoking and heavy alcohol use. This study estimates the prevalence of depression, its variation among demographic subgroups, and its association with heavy alcohol use and cigarette smoking in California. METHODS The 2006 California Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)...

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is a large state-based telephone survey. BRFSS is designed to monitor the leading risk factors for morbidity and mortality in the United States at the local, state, and national levels. The BRFSS has proven to be a powerful tool for building heath-promotion activities. However, the use of telephone-based, random-digit-dial (RDD) methods in ...

Objectives: Previous studies suggest that racism – prejudice or discrimination based on race – is an important underlying determinant of health disparities and quality of life in the United States. However, few studies have quantitatively measured the effect of racism on health. This study examines the relationship between health status and perceived treatment based on race among North Carolina...

Introduction In response to the rise in obesity rates and obesity-related healthcare costs over the past several decades, numerous organizations have implemented obesity prevention programs. The current method for evaluating the success of these programs relies largely on annual surveys such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) w...

OBJECTIVE Asians are thought to be at high risk for diabetes, yet there is little population-based information about diabetes in Asian Americans. The purpose of this study was to directly compare the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Asian Americans with other racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. using data from the 2001 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). RESEARCH DESIGN AND M...

The percentage of those uninsured in the U.S. has risen in recent years, although out-of-pocket expenditures have declined. At the same time, the obesity rate has significantly risen. We look at obesity in the context of a model in which the status of health insurance might play a role in influencing body weights. In this context, adverse selection is likely to be an issue, as those with ailmen...

OBJECTIVES In 1999, alcohol related motor vehicle crashes in the United States claimed 15786 lives and injured more than 300000 persons. Drinking and driving behavior is shaped by individual and environmental level influences. In this study, the association between each state's driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) countermeasures and self reported alcohol impaired driving was explored. ...

early treatment after a heart attack or a stroke is critical to lowering the risk of disability and death. The survival benefit is greatest when thrombolytic agents are administered within one to three hours after symptom onset. Median delay time from symptom onset to hospital arrival in U.S. studies ranges from 1.5 to 6.0 hours. Treatment-seeking delays include the time intervals 1) from sympt...

OBJECTIVE To examine acculturation as a correlate of cardiovascular disease screening practices among Mexican Americans. METHODS A modified Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey was administered to adults age 18 and older in four Chicago neighborhoods during the winter of 2000 (N=435). RESULTS Regression analyses that accounted for complex sampling design found that Mexi...