Indicators by Demographics

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)

Data Source: Data come from the BRFSS survey, also known as the Virginia Adult Health Survey, collected by the Virginia Department of Health. Counts and percentages collected through the BRFSS survey are weighted to represent the adult population of Virginia. Weighting adjusts for demographic differences between persons who answer the survey questions and the population that they represent. Survey responses of “don’t know/not sure,” refusal to answer, or missing answers are not included in the data.

Indicator Definitions:

The below questions are specific to the 2023 BRFSS survey. For additional information on prior year surveys, you can visit Questionnaires and Documentation – BRFSS.

Physical, Oral Health, and Functional Status

• • Blind or Difficulty Seeing: Are you blind or do you have serious difficulty seeing, even when wearing glasses? (Indicator displays response 'yes')
  • Deaf or Difficulty Hearing: Are you deaf or do you have serious difficulty hearing? (Indicator displays response 'yes')
  • Difficulty Concentrating or Remembering: Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, do you have serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions? (Indicator displays response 'yes')
  • Difficulty Dressing or Bathing: Do you have difficulty dressing or bathing? (Indicator displays response 'yes')
  • Difficulty Running Errands Alone: Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, do you have difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor's office or shopping? (Indicator displays response 'yes')
  • Difficulty Walking or Climbing Stairs: Do you have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs? (Indicator displays response 'yes')
  • Good Health: Would you say that in general your health is excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor? (Indicator displays responses 'good,' 'very good,' or 'excellent' health)
  • Heart Attack: Has a doctor, nurse, or other health professional ever told you that you had a heart attack, also called a myocardial infarction? (Indicator displays response 'yes')
  • No Physical Activity in the Past Month: During the past month, other than your regular job, did you participate in any physical activities or exercises such as running, calisthenics, golf, gardening, or walking for exercise? (Indicator displays response 'no')
  • Non-melanoma Skin Cancer: Has a doctor, nurse, or other health professional ever told you that you had skin cancer that is not melanoma? (Indicator displays response 'yes')
  • Other Types of Cancer: Has a doctor, nurse, or other health professional ever told you that you melanoma or other types of cancer? (Indicator displays response 'yes')
  • Obese: About how much do you weigh without shoes? & About how tall are you without shoes? (Indicator displays response of adults who have a body mass index greater than 30.0. Body Mass Index was calculated using the two questions)
  • Overweight or Obese: Adults who have a body mass index greater than 25.0 (Overweight or Obese) (Indicator displays response 'yes')
  • Permanent Teeth Removed: How many of your permanent teeth have been removed because of tooth decay or gum disease? Include teeth lost to infection, but do not include teeth lost for other reasons, such as injury or orthodontics. (Indicator displays responses '1 to 5,' '6 or more but not all,' and 'All')
  • Poor Physical or Mental Health: During the past 30 days, for about how many days did poor physical or mental health keep you from doing your usual activities, such as self-care, work, or recreation? (Indicator displays responses with one or more days of poor physical or mental health)
  • Physical Health no Good, One Day or More: Now thinking about your physical health, which includes physical illness and injury, for how many days during the past 30 days was your physical health not good? (Indicator displays response for one day or more)

Emotional and Mental Health

• • Depressive Disorder: Has a doctor, nurse or other health professional ever told you that you had a depressive disorder (including depression, major depression, dysthymia, or minor depression)? (Indicator displays response 'yes')
  • Poor Mental Health: Now thinking about your mental health, which includes stress, depression, and problems with emotions, for how many days during the past 30 days was your mental health not good? (Indicator displays responses with one or more days of poor mental health)

Health Care Access and Coverage

• • Count Not See Doctor Because of Cost: Was there a time in the past 12 months when you needed to see a doctor but could not because you could not afford it? (Indicator displays response 'yes')
  • Dental Insurance: Do you have any kind of insurance coverage that pays for some or all of your routine dental care, including dental insurance prepaid plans? (Indicator displays response 'yes')
  • Dental Visit in the Past Year: How long has it been since you last visited a dentist or a dental clinic for any reason? Include visits to dental specialists, such as orthodontists? (Indicator displays response 'Within the past year (anytime less than 12 months ago)')
  • Regular Healthcare Provider: Do you have one person (or a group of doctors) that you think of as your personal health care provider? (Indicator displays response 'Yes, only one' and 'More than one')
  • Routine Checkup: About how long has it been since you last visited a doctor for a routine checkup? (Indicator displays response 'Within the past year (anytime less than 12 months ago)')

Preventive Health Behaviors

• • Cholesterol Checked: About how long has it been since you last had your cholesterol checked? (Indicator displays responses within the last five years)
  • Flu Vaccine: During the past 12 months, have you had either flu vaccine that was sprayed in your nose or flu shot injected into your arm? (Indicator displays response 'yes')
  • HIV Test Ever: Including fluid testing from your mouth, but not including tests you may have had for blood donation, have you ever been tested for HIV? (Indicator displays response 'yes')
  • Pneumonia Shot Ever: Have you ever had a pneumonia shot also known as a pneumococcal vaccine? (Indicator displays response 'yes')
  • Shingles Vaccine: Have you ever had the shingles or zoster vaccine? (Indicator displays response 'yes')
  • Taking Blood Pressure Medication: Are you currently taking prescription medicine for your high blood pressure? (Indicator displays response 'yes')
  • Taking High Cholesterol Medication: Are you currently taking medicine prescribed by your doctor or other health professional for your cholesterol? (Indicator displays response 'yes')
  • Tetanus Shot: Have you received a tetanus shot in the past 10 years? (Indicator displays response 'Yes, received Tdap,' 'Yes, received tetanus shot, but not Tdap,' and 'Yes, received tetanus shot but not sure what type')

Lifestyle Behaviors

• • Alcoholic Beverages: During the past 30 days, how many days per week or per month did you have at least one drink of any alcoholic beverage? (Indicator displays responses with 1 day or more)
  • Binge Drinking: Considering all types of alcoholic beverages, how many times during the past 30 days did you have 5 or more drinks for men or 4 or more drinks for women on an occasion? (Indicator displays responses with 5 or more drinks for males or 4 or more drinks for females on an occasion in past 30 days)

Demographic Definitions:

• Age Group: Age is displayed as six groupings, based on respondent's answer.
• Education Level: Education level is displayed as four groupings, based on highest grade or year of school that the respondent completed.
• Employment Status: Employment status is displayed as employed (wages or self-employed) or not employed, based on how the respondent answers.
• Gender: Gender is displayed as whether respondent identifies as male or female.
• Income Level: Income is displayed as five groupings, based on the respondent's answer to their annual household income from all sources.
• Insurance Status: Health insurance status is displayed as two groups, based on respondent's primary source of health coverage.
• Marital Status: Marital status is displayed as two groups, based on respondent's answer.

Other: Not all indicators are available in every year of the survey. Estimates calculated from an unweighted sample size of 20 or less responses or with a confidence interval half width greater than 10 for any cell are not displayed.