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Show Risk Factors Risk factors are behaviors that are thought to create risk of a particular disease for the person engaging in a particular activity (such as substance abuse), or behaviors that risk the health of others (such as physical and sexual abuse). Survey Data In many cases data are reported from various surveys conducted throughout the state or the nation. Surveys usually involve contact with individuals by mail, telephone, or in person and require a process of selecting a representative sub-group of the general population through random or other sampling processes. Surveys provide information about disease incidence, risk factor behavior, attitudes toward health care delivery, etc. The results of surveys are influenced by the methodology, including how questions are asked, respondents' faulty memories or reluctance to respond accurately, size of population sampled, and selection process of samples. Different surveys about similar topics may vary in their accuracy, and some surveys may be more representative of the entire population than others. Utah:U.S. Ratio This ratio directly compares Utah with the nation. A high ratio can be either favorable or unfavorable, depending on the indicator examined. For example, in 1990 the percentage of people who completed college shows the Utah:U.S. Ratio as 1.10:1. Because education is valued, a higher rate for Utah is considered favorable. However, if this ratio were of a disease such as diabetes mellitus, a high ratio would be considered unfavorable. 94 GLOSSARY |
