Behavioral Health Risks

While not all factors influencing health can be changed (such as heredity), the majority can be affected at levels of the individual, of society, and often both. Personal behavior with its associated risks or benefits to health is an important factor in determining individual health status as well as the burden of disease and death observed and confronted on a population level in Pierce County.

Although risks to health change throughout the lifespan, many of the leading causes of death in Pierce County(1)remain directly related to individual health-related behaviors such as tobacco use, diet and physical inactivity, and alcohol consumption. Understanding the health-related behaviors that place our population and its subgroups at increased risk of disease and death is vital in guiding efforts to improve individual health behavior and address the social and structural factors that influence health promotion.

Two key sources of data used to monitor the health-related behaviors of Pierce County adults and youth are the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and the Healthy Youth Survey (HYS). The BRFSS collects data continuously through telephone survey of adults 18 years of age and older. Report of BRFSS findings at the state-level are published annually, while counties may report on irregular or multiple years when a sufficient amount of data is available for analysis. The HYS collects data every two years from students at grades 6, 8, 10 and 12 through student-completed paper survey. For more information about the HYS, click here.

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Data

BRFSS 2000 , BRFSS 2003 and BRFSS 2009 present the most recent findings on health-related behaviors among Pierce County adults.

Healthy Youth Survey (HYS) Data

HYS 2002  6th, 8th, 10th and 12th grades. (Please note that data from the 6th grade should be interpreted with caution since the response rate was low for this grade.  For more information, please contact the Office of Assessment, Planning and Improvement at 253-798-7668.)

HYS 2004  6th, 8th, 10th and 12th grades. (Please note that data from the 10th and 12th grades should be interpreted with caution since response rates were lower for these grades. These data may not accurately represent all 10th and 12th grade students in Pierce County, but are probably suitable for most practical purposes. For more information, please contact the Office of Assessment, Planning and Improvement at 253-798-7668.)

HYS 2006 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th grades. (Please note that data from the 10th and 12th grades should be interpreted with caution since response rates were lower for these grades. These data may not accurately represent all 10th and 12th grade students in Pierce County, but are probably suitable for most practical purposes. For more information, please contact the Office of Assessment, Planning and Improvement at 253-798-7668.)

HYS 2008 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th grades. (Please note that data from the 8th and 12th grades should be interpreted with caution since response rates were lower for these grades. These data may not accurately represent all 8th and 12th grade students in Pierce County, but are probably suitable for most practical purposes. For more information, please contact the Office of Assessment, Planning and Improvement at 253 798-7668.)

HYS 2010 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th grades. For more information, please contact the Office of Community Assessment at 253 798-7668.)