What method is used to create county-level estimates of diagnosed diabetes and obesity?
The prevalence of diagnosed diabetes by county was estimated using data from CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Program.1 The BRFSS is an ongoing, monthly, state-based telephone survey of the adult population. The survey provides state-specific information on behavioral risk factors and preventive health practices. Respondents were considered to have diabetes if they responded “yes” to the question, “Has a doctor ever told you that you have diabetes?” Women who indicated that they only had diabetes during pregnancy were not considered to have diabetes. Women who indicated that they only had diabetes during pregnancy were not considered to have diabetes. Respondents were considered obese if their body mass index was 30 or greater. Body mass index was derived from self-report of height and weight. Three years of data are used to improve the precision of the year-specific county-level estimates of diagnosed
