Steps to a HealthierNY Telephone Survey Press Release.

The Jefferson County Public Health Service and the New York State Department of Health are conducting a telephone survey to find out about the health behaviors and health needs of people living in Jefferson County.  The survey is being conducted in conjunction with the new Steps to a HealthierNY program.  The Steps telephone survey is designed to prevent and control diabetes, asthma, and obesity in your community.  Survey questions will ask about health behaviors like exercise, eating habits, and smoking.  Survey results will be used to plan and evaluate Steps-funded programs and services around the needs of the community.

The Steps telephone survey is being conducted in four counties in New York State.  Approximately 1,500 adults will be interviewed in each county annually.  Professional health interviewers working for a survey company in Idaho will make calls.  The calls will be made mostly during evening hours, and may occur on weekends.  The interviewer will ask to speak to one randomly selected adult in the household, such as the adult male.  Telephone numbers are picked randomly by a computer and are not from a phone book, so unlisted numbers may still be called.  The interview will take about twelve minutes for each adult.  If you are called at an inconvenient time, the interviewer can call you back at a time you choose.

Answers to the Steps telephone survey will be kept strictly confidential, and the interviewers will not ask for your name or address.  If you are called for the survey, it is important to answer the questions truthfully to make sure the information collected about our community is accurate.  Cooperation with the survey is voluntary, but the more people who participate in the survey, the more useful the information collected will be.  The Steps telephone survey is an opportunity for residents to help reduce the burden of costly diseases and health conditions in their community.
If you are called to participate and have questions about the survey, you will be given a toll free number to call.  A New York State Department of Health representative will be available to answer your questions.  Residents with questions may also call the Jefferson County Public Health Service at 786-3719.
Steps Telephone Survey Questions and Answers:
 
Q: What is Steps to a HealthierNY?

A: Steps to a HealthierNY is a new program funded by the federal government designed to improve nutrition, increase physical activity, decrease tobacco use and exposure, improve disease self-management and delivery of care to reduce the burden of obesity, diabetes, and asthma.
Q: What is the Steps telephone survey?

A: The Steps telephone survey is being conducted by the Jefferson County Public Health Service and the New York State Department of Health to gather information about the health of adults in Jefferson County.  The survey is a requirement of the federal funding, and will be conducted each year of the program.  The survey asks respondents about their health behaviors including nutrition, physical activity, and tobacco use.  Respondents will also be asked to report their height and weight, and whether they have been diagnosed with diabetes or asthma and related questions.  

Q: Who is included in the survey?

A: Adults over the age of 18 can be surveyed. About 1,500 adults in Jefferson County will be interviewed annually.
Q: How are households chosen?

A: A computer gives us a list of phone numbers to call.  The list is made up of numbers that the computer has picked randomly.
Q: Is it possible to reach unlisted numbers?

A: Yes, unlisted numbers can be called since phone numbers are picked from a list of random numbers.  Telephone listings are not used to choose numbers to call.
Q: How long will the interview take?

A: It will take about 12 minutes.
Q: What if I get called and am too busy to participate?

A: The interviewer can arrange to call you back at a time that is better for you.
Q: Is the information kept confidential?

A: Yes, information will be kept confidential.  The interviewers will not be asking for the names or addresses of respondents.
Q: How will the information be used?

A: The information will be used by the Jefferson County Public Health Service and the New York State Department of Health.  The responses of everyone in the county will be combined and used to plan and evaluate Steps health programs and services.
Q: How can I be sure that this is a legitimate survey?

A: If you are called, the interviewer can give you a toll-free number, so you can verify that the survey is legitimate.  A New York State Department of Health representative will be available to answer any questions you may have about the survey.

For more information, go to www.cdc.gov/brfss/


DISCLAIMER:
This Web site is made possible by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Steps to a HealthierNY Jefferson County is solely responsible for the operation, contents, privacy and security of this Web site and its compliance with applicable law and regulation. Its contents do not necessarily represent the official view of HHS.

Steps to a HealthierNY is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of Steps to a HealthierUS, a national program focusing on the prevention of diabetes, obesity and asthma and the control of risk factors including poor nutrition, physical inactivity and tobacco use and exposure. For more information about the Steps to a HealthierNY program, please call (315) 786-3724.

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