Finding and Using Health Statistics

4. Finding Health Statistics Exercises

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the primary public health institution in the United States. The CDC offers many data resources and tools. For example:

CDC WONDER (Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research) is a system of searchable databases with access to a wide array of public health indicators. These include measures of chronic and communicable disease, environmental health, disease and injury prevention, and occupational health.
The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is a system of telephone surveys about health care, health risks, chronic conditions, and use of preventive services. The BRFSS collects data in all 50 states, Washington, DC, and three U.S. territories. It is the largest continuously conducted health survey system in the world.¹
The CDC website also has a list of interactive database systems with the latest information on many health and disease topics.

Using the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, find the percentage of adults in Mississippi who have been told that they have high blood pressure (hypertension) in 2019. (Hint: Start by clicking "Prevalence Data" and "Prevalence and Trends Data.")

a) 41.9

b) 43.6

c) 56.4

d) 58.1

What is the confidence interval for the estimate found in Question 1? (Hint: Click on the table icon)

a) Lower Bound: 30.7 Upper Bound: 62.1

b) Lower Bound: 41.9 Upper Bound: 45.4

c) Lower Bound: 56.4 Upper Bound: 58.1

d) Lower Bound: 35.2 Upper Bound: 60.3

1. "BRFSS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)." Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2 Jan. 2018, www.cdc.gov/brfss/about/brfss_faq.htm.