The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has released results from the 2011 Kansas Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).

BRFSS is the world’s largest, annual population–based telephone survey system, tracking health conditions and risk behaviors in the U.S. It is coordinated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and is conducted in every state and several territories.

The following are some of the Kansas 2011 BRFSS data highlights for adults 18 years old and older:

• 80.6% of Kansas adults use safety belts
• 36.3% of Kansas adults do not have dental insurance
• 30.8% of Kansas adults have hypertension (high blood pressure)
• 29.6% of Kansas adults are obese
• 22% of Kansas adults smoke cigarettes
• 9.5% of Kansas adults have diabetes

The CDC made major methodological changes to the way the data were collected and analyzed for the 2011 BRFSS.  The new methodology adjusts for changes in the use of cell phone service in Kansas and thereby provides prevalence estimates more representative of the Kansas adult population, especially in risk behaviors common to younger adults and to certain racial or ethnic minority groups.

To view the 2011 Kansas BRFSS report visit www.kdheks.gov/brfss/publications.html.