Surveillance of Certain Health Behaviors and Conditions Among States and Selected Local Areas --- Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), United States, 2006

Behavioral risk factors such as smoking, poor diet, physical inactivity, and excessive drinking are linked to the leading causes of death in the United States. Controlling these behavioral risk factors and using preventive health services (e.g., influenza vaccinations and cholesterol screenings) can reduce morbidity and mortality in the U.S. population substantially. Continuous monitoring both of health behaviors and of the use of preventive services is essential for developing health promotion activities, intervention programs, and health policies at the state, city, and county level.

This report indicates that substantial variations in health-risk behaviors, chronic diseases and conditions, and the use of preventive health services exist among adults from state to state and within states and underscores the continued need for prevention and health promotion activities at the local, state, and federal levels.

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