BRFSS Data Users should be aware of the following items A through D. If you have questions about any of these responsibilities or guidelines, please contact the BRFSS Coordinator.
A. Responsible use and reporting of small numbers.
- Washington BRFSS data does not contain direct identifiers. We have removed a few characteristics that could lead to potential identification of a respondent from the data. Nevertheless, data users should exercise care when analyzing and reporting on infrequent / rare responses to sensitive questions, or where analysis involves small numbers.
- Review Guidelines for Working with Small Numbers (PDF) provided on the Washington State Department of Health Data Guidelines webpage to assess issues concerning confidentiality and statistical reliability with small numbers.
- BRFSS data is for assessment or research on population health. It should not be used to identify or attempt to identify a person.
- BRFSS data should not be linked to other datasets with individually identifiable data from another source.
- We encourage researchers to submit their analytical plans to an Institutional Review Board (IRB).
B. Selecting and applying weights to BRFSS data.
- BRFSS data must be weighted to represent the Washington population. Refer to each year's “What Weight to Use” document for guidance.
- Starting in 2011, nationwide changes were made to the weighting methodology. 2011 is also the first year to officially include responses from a random cell phone sample, nationwide. Data from 2011 and later should never be combined or compared to the official datasets from 2010 and earlier (land line sample with post-stratified weights).
C. Differences between BRFSS datasets released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Washington State Department of Health (DOH).
- CDC releases an annual dataset and reports for Washington State. Anyone can obtain a public version of that data approximately 3-4 months before the Washington State Department of Health releases the BRFSS data package. CDC's public BRFSS files do not contain State Added Questions (SAQs) or geographic information (e.g., self-reported county).
- The Washington State Department of Health staff re-weight the data in CDC's file and add other variables to the file. Estimates generated by applying Department of Health weights may differ from those generated using the CDC weights.
- Analysts should consider whether their analysis will include interstate versus intrastate comparisons when selecting both the dataset(s) and weights to use.
D. Required citations and submission of reports or publications.
The Washington State Department of Health operates BRFSS under a cooperative agreement with CDC. The terms of the cooperative agreement require:
- Citation of the data source and CDC funding number when reporting results in a presentation, publication or report. We provide a suggested citation and funding numbers in each data package.
- Submission of all reports, presentations or publications that include BRFSS data to the department. We in turn submit publications to CDC. Please email your final products to: BRFSS@doh.wa.gov.