OCR Text |
Show Section 3 Utah's Risk Factors (Behavioral) Risk factors predict increased risk for developing a problem or disorder. This section examines personal risk factors such as behavioral risks, community risk factors such as violent crime, and environmental risk factors such as air quality. The risk factors highlighted in this section provide meaning and perspective to the demographic and health status data sections. The logic of more risk factors = more problems reveals a simple truth. The accumulation of risk factors jeopardizes individual and community health. Protective factors are conditions that increase resistance to risk factors and inhibit the development of problems even when encountering risk exposure. Individuals can implement protective factors such as nutrition, exercise, leisure activity, weight loss, and eliminating alcohol, tobacco, and substance abuse. Communities can provide protective factors such as sanitation, assurance of air and water quality, regulation of food and agricultural services, occupational and safety law enforcement, preventive medicine, immunizations, epidemiology, health education, and others. Behavioral Risk Factors The risk factor data in this subsection come from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The BRFSS is a state-based random telephone survey conducted monthly throughout the United States of non-institutionalized adults over age 18. Data are reported annually. The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, the Utah Household Survey on Substance Abuse, and the Utah School Drug Survey are other sources of data in this section. The 1997 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) monitors high school student health behaviors including behaviors that contribute to injury, tobacco use, alcohol and other drug use, sexual behaviors, dietary behaviors, and physical activity. In the U.S., 73% of all deaths among school-age youth and young adults result from four causes: motor vehicle crashes, other unintentional injuries, homicide, and suicide. In addition, since 67% of all deaths among adults result from heart disease, stroke, and cancer, the YRBSS measures risk behaviors such as physical inactivity and poor nutrition, which are often initiated during adolescence. 96 |