Executive Summary
1995 Mississippi Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

Note: only responses to questions on general health, health risk behaviors for chronic disease (including health care access), and screening behaviors are given here

Health status

• 21.4% report that general health is fair or poor
• 11.0% report that physical health was not good for more than 7 days during the past 30 days
• 9.3% report that mental health was not good for more than 7 days during the past 30 days
• 18.8% report that poor physical/mental health prevented usual activities for more than 7 days during the past 30 days

Quality of life

• 16.7% of respondents report that they are limited because of impairment/health problem
• The five leading impairments/health problems are:

Back/neck problems (17.3%)
Arthritis/rheumatism (16.4%)
Fractures, bone/joint injury (11.0%)
Heart problem (8.7%)
Walking problem (7.9%)

• Together, these categories account for 61.3% of self-reported impairments/health problems.

Cigarette smoking

• 24.0% report that they are current cigarette smokers (have ever smoked 100 cigarettes and now smoke every day or some days)
• 20.5% report that they are former cigarette smokers (have ever smoked 100 cigarettes but do not smoke now)
• 48.5% of current daily smokers report that they have quit smoking for 1 day or longer during the past 12 months

Body weight and weight control

• 31.6% of respondents are overweight (BMI >= 27.7 for men, 27.3 for women)
• 18.1% of respondents are obese (BMI >= 30)

Diabetes

• Prevalence of self-reported diabetes (told by a doctor): 6.4%

Hypertension awareness

• 29.9% of respondents report that they have been told by a health professional that they have high blood pressure
• 86.4% have had their blood pressure taken by a health professional within the past year
• 91.8% have had their blood pressure taken by a health professional within the past 2 years
• 95.7% have had their blood pressure taken by a health professional within the past 5 years

Cholesterol awareness

• 59.8% of respondents have ever had a blood cholesterol check
• 68.9% have had their blood cholesterol checked within the past year
• 84.6% have had their blood cholesterol checked within the past 2 years
• 92.1% have had their blood cholesterol checked within the past 5 years
• 25.4% of those tested report that they have been told by a health professional that they have high blood cholesterol

Mammography screening

• 63.1% of women 50-59 years of age have had a screening mammogram within the past year
• 78.2% of women 50-59 years of age have had a screening mammogram within the past two years
• 62.2% of women 60-69 years of age have had a screening mammogram within the past year
• 78.2% of women 60-69 years of age have had a screening mammogram within the past two years

Pap smear screening

• 88.5% of women 18-65 years of age have had Pap smear screening within the past three years

Colorectal cancer screening

• 28.7% of respondents have ever had a proctoscopic exam
• 33.7% have had a sigmoidoscopy/proctoscopic exam within the past year
• 56.5% have had a sigmoidoscopy/proctoscopic exam within the past 2 years
• 74.9% have had a sigmoidoscopy/proctoscopic exam within the past 5 years

Immunization

• 26.0% of respondents have had a flu shot within the past 12 months
• 14.5% of respondents have ever had a pneumonia vaccination

Health care access

• 13.9% report that they have no kind of health care coverage
• 14.7% report that there was a time during the past 12 months that they needed to see a doctor but could not because of the cost