2001 Chronic Disease and the Environment

Using BRFSS Data in Conjunction with Supplementary Information Sources

	See Also • What is a metropolitan area? • What is the AQS database?

Pollutants in the environment have been linked to chronic diseases such as cancer, asthma, and cardiovascular health problems. Although the BRFSS does not directly measure environmental quality (e.g., air pollution, water pollution, community-wide pesticide spraying), environmental information available from other sources such as the EPA, the United States Geological Survey, and state and local monitoring networks can be used in conjunction with BRFSS data to compare measures of environmental quality and chronic disease.

The 2001 BRFSS was used to provide prevalence estimates for selected metropolitan areas with 500 or more respondents.

We used the 2001 Air Quality System (AQS) database measurements of ozone, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter to calculate annual summary statistics in these metropolitan areas.

Disclaimer: Before using these data, please see the data limitations and inappropriate uses.

2001 Environmental Quality and Metropolitan Area Data and Documentation
Find overview and explanatory information about the Air Quality System database as well as data files for pollutant measures and 2001 metropolitan areas.

Chronic Disease and the Environment FAQs
Get answers to common questions about this project.

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This page last reviewed August 17, 2004

United States Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Division of Adult and Community Health