The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System is a comprehensive survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in collaboration with state health departments across the nation. It collects valuable information on various health behaviors, chronic conditions, and risk factors that affect the health of our communities.
Frequently Asked Questions
The BRFSS is an annual, telephone survey administered by the South Dakota Department of Health in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The survey collects data on the general health and health risks of South Dakota residents. Most questions on the survey are provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with a few state-added questions asked only in South Dakota.
Participation is voluntary, but your cooperation will help the South Dakota Department of Health collect important data on the health-related risk behaviors, health conditions, and use of preventative services by South Dakota’s residents. The data are used by the various programs within the Department to evaluate past initiatives and to plan future actions that target chronic health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
Potential respondents’ landline or cellular telephone numbers are randomly selected to participate in the BRFSS and will receive a call from our contractor Logit US, Inc. works seven days a week including Sundays from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Central time. If called at an inconvenient time, you may schedule another time for the interviewer to call back. The call will show as SD Health Survey. The interviewer will identify him or herself as calling on behalf of the South Dakota Department of Health.
All information collected is strictly confidential. Individual responses are combined and presented as one figure for each question asked on the survey. Thus, no individual responses can ever be identified.
The contract agency will never ask for sensitive identifying information such as bank account information, social security numbers, or ask you to make a purchase of any kind.
The average length of the survey is 23 minutes. Depending on your response(s) to certain question(s), the survey may take more or less time to complete.