Executive Summary
1993 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

• 21.6% report that general health is fair or poor
• 11.4% report that physical health was not good for more than 7 days during the past 30 days
• 10.6% report that mental health was not good for more than 7 days during the past 30 days
• 7.6% report that poor physical/mental health prevented usual activities for more than 7 days during the past 30 days

Cigarette smoking

• 24.0% report that they are current cigarette smokers (have ever smoked 100 cigarettes and now smoke every day or some days)
• 20.6% report that they are former cigarette smokers (have ever smoked 100 cigarettes but do not smoke now)
• 62.6% 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

• 31.7% of respondents are overweight (BMI >= 27.7 for men, 27.3 for women)
• 18.0% of respondents are obese (BMI >= 30)

Diabetes

• Prevalence of self-reported diabetes (told by a doctor): 6.3%

Hypertension awareness

• 29.8% of respondents report that they have been told by a health professional that they have high blood pressure
• 88.2% have had their blood pressure taken by a health professional within the past year
• 93.5% have had their blood pressure taken by a health professional within the past 2 years

• 97.1% have had their blood pressure taken by a health professional within the past 5 years

Cholesterol awareness

• 59.5% of respondents have ever had a blood cholesterol check
• 70.8% have had their blood cholesterol checked within the past year
• 87.7% have had their blood cholesterol checked within the past 2 years
• 95.9% have had their blood cholesterol checked within the past 5 years
• 31.4% of those tested report that they have been told by a health professional that they have high blood cholesterol

Mammography screening

• 60.6% of women 50-59 years of age have had a screening mammogram within the past year
• 83.7% of women 50-59 years of age have had a screening mammogram within the past two years
• 64.4% of women 60-69 years of age have had a screening mammogram within the past yearw
• 81.3% of women 60-69 years of age have had a screening mammogram within the past two years

Pap smear screening

• 86.5% of women 18-65 years of age have had Pap smear screening within the past three years

Colorectal cancer screening

• 28.6% of respondents have ever had a proctoscopic exam
• 29.8% have had a proctoscopic exam within the past year
• 44.3% have had a proctoscopic exam within the past 2 years
• 66.0% have had a proctoscopic exam within the past 5 years

Immunization

• 19.2% of respondents have had a flu shot within the past 12 months
• 13.5% of respondents have ever had a pneumonia vaccination

Health care access

• 15.9% report that they have no kind of health care coverage
• 18.1% 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