Louisiana Department of Health & Hospitals | Bruce Greenstein, Secretary

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

Highlighted Facts from the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Survey:

• While nationally the percent of current smokers has decreased six percentage points over the past decade, the percent of Louisiana smokers has only decreased two percentage points since 2000. In fact, the percent of Louisiana adults who identify as current smokers remained stable from 2009 to 2010 at 22.1 percent.
• Approximately one-fourth (24.5 percent) of Louisiana's non-elderly population, age 18-64, are without health insurance, placing the state as the fourth-highest uninsured rate of all the states in the country.
• The percent of Louisiana's population who are overweight, adults with a BMI between 25 and 29.9, increased slightly from 33.7 percent in 2009 to 34.7 percent in 2010, but it is still slightly less than the national average of 36.3 percent.
• The percentage of Louisiana residents who are uninsured saw a slight increase this year, from 23.2 to 24.5 percent of adults ages 18 to 64.
• Louisiana saw a slight decrease int he percentage of diabetic adults in 2010, from 10.3 percent in 2010 to 11.1 percent in 2009.

RESOURCES

Louisiana Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Report -This report presents results from the specified years of BRFSS for the state of Louisiana. All civilian, non-institutionalized state residents aged 18 and older with a household landline telephone are eligible for survey participation. Respondents were selected randomly from the sample of eligible individuals.

The primary purpose of the survey is to provide population-based estimates for chronic disease and the associated risk factors for Louisiana residents. The results of the survey are used by public health agencies, non-profit organizations, academic institutions, state agencies, and others to develop initiatives and pro-grams to improve the health of Louisiana residents.

Louisiana Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Methodological Improvements

Louisiana Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System: Turning Information into Health

2008 - 2010 Parish Profiles - The parish profiles are estimates for each parish.

2006 - 2008 Parish Profiles - The parish profiles are estimates for each parish. The BRFSS results for years 2006, 2007 and 2008 were combined in an attempt to increase the sample size for parishes with low population densities.

2009 Regional Rates - The regional rates provide rates for selected BRFSS questions for each of the nine designated health regions within the state.