Wisconsin Behavioral Risk Factor Survey

The Wisconsin Behavioral Risk Factor Survey (BRFS) is a telephone survey of state residents ages 18 and older carried out in conjunction with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (exit DHS) encompasses BRFS programs in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories.

The survey addresses a variety of topics, such as behaviors related to smoking, alcohol use, physical activity and overweight; prevalence of chronic diseases such as diabetes, asthma and hypertension; and receipt of recommended cancer and cholesterol screening tests. BRFS data are used extensively by public health departments and are the basis of numerous articles in public health research journals and other publications.  (See information about the BRFS methodology.)

• Wisconsin BRFS: Special Projects (PDF 56 KB) March 2008)
  
  
• BRFS data (interactive queries)
  The BRFS module in WISH (Wisconsin Interactive Statistics on Health) allows you to obtain Wisconsin BRFS data, tailored to your specifications, for multiple years and geographic areas.
  
  

• Health Counts in Wisconsin:  Behavioral Risk Factors, 2007 (annual tables) (PDF, 185 KB) (August 2008).
  This condensed report presents BRFS data on risk factors such as smoking, alcohol use, overweight and lack of exercise, as well as receipt of screening tests and actions taken to reduce chronic disease risk.  
  
  

• Tracking the State Health Plan 2010
  Contains state-level indicators that use BRFS and other data to track progress toward Wisconsin's state health plan objectives.
  
  

• Health-Related Quality of Life: Using the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey to Examine How Wisconsin Adults View Their Health
  (PDF, 324 KB)  (November 2006).
  This report addresses connections between self-perceived health and demographic, chronic-disease and health-risk characteristics. Health-related quality of life is an emerging concept in public health. CDC strongly encourages states to include health-related quality of life in assessments of population health.  

Reports from Previous Years

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Last Revised:  August 22, 2008