Population Survey
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FoodNet determines the incidence of laboratory-confirmed infections for bacterial pathogens transmitted commonly through food. However, these reports represent only a subset of the true number of cases of diarrheal illness that occur in the community; most diarrheal illnesses are undiagnosed and, therefore, not reported. To more precisely estimate the burden of acute diarrheal illness and to describe the frequency of important exposures, FoodNet has conducted population-based telephone surveys of persons residing in the surveillance area. FoodNet uses the data to estimate the prevalence and severity of diarrheal illness in the community, describe common symptoms associated with diarrhea, and determine the proportion of persons with diarrhea who seek medical care – and assess exposures that might be risk factors for foodborne illness, such as consumption of risky foods or recent travel outside the United States.
Methods
The population surveys were administered by adapting the standard Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) methodology. The surveys were probability samples in which participants were selected following a disproportionate stratified sample (DSS) random-digit-dialing (RDD) method. Once a household was contacted, the number of males and females in the household were enumerated. The target group was non-institutionalized persons aged 1 year and older; if a child aged 12 years or under was selected, a parent was interviewed to ascertain information about the child. Participants answered questions on various exposures associated with diarrheal illness, episodes of diarrhea or vomiting in the past month, and basic demographics. Post-stratification weights were used to adjust the distribution of the sample by age and sex to match the U.S. Census population.
- Page last reviewed: May 14, 2015
- Page last updated: May 14, 2015
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