Surveillance Systems

• Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)
  BRFSS is the world’s largest, on-going telephone health survey system, tracking health conditions and risk behaviors among adults in all 50 states and select territories.
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  National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
  NHANES is a program of studies designed to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States. The survey combines interviews and physical examinations.

• Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBS)
  YRBSS measures the prevalence obesity and monitors six types of health-risk behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of death and disability among youth and young adults, including unhealthy dietary behaviors and physical inactivity.
• National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)
  The NHIS has monitored the health of the nation since 1957. NHIS data are collected through personal household interviews.
• CDC uses data from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Participants and Program Characteristics (WIC PC) for obesity surveillance among toddlers (children aged 2–4 years) from low-income families. The WIC PC data replaced the Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System (PedNSS). The WIC PC data is included in the DNPAO’s Data, Trends, and Maps.
• National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR)
  • Catalogue of Surveillance Systems
    Review, sort, and compare more than 75 surveillance systems with data related to childhood obesity research.
  • National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR) Measures Registry
    Search this database of diet and physical activity measures used in childhood obesity research.

Nutrition

• School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS)
  The School Health Policies and Programs Study is a national survey periodically conducted to assess school health policies and practices at the state, district, school, and classroom levels. This includes nutrition services, education, and policies.
• School Health Profiles (Profiles)
  The School Health Profiles is a system of surveys assessing school health policies and practices in states, large urban school districts, territories, and tribal governments. This includes school health education requirements, nutrition and dietary behavior topics and school health policies and practices related to nutrition and other topics.

Physical Activity

• Explanation of US Physical Activity Surveys
  Several different national surveys track physical activity in many age groups and at several levels for the United States national public health objectives. This section provides background information understanding and comparing the various physical activity surveys.

Breastfeeding

• U.S. National Immunization Survey (NIS)
  This nationwide survey provides current national, state, and selected urban-area estimates of vaccination coverage rates for U.S. children ages 19 to 35 months. Since July 2001, breastfeeding questions have been asked on the NIS to assess the population’s breastfeeding practices.
• Infant Feeding Practices Survey II
  CDC is collaborating with researchers from the Food and Drug Administration to conduct this nationwide longitudinal study which focuses on infant feeding practices and the diets of women from their 3rd trimester to 12 months postpartum.
• Maternity Care Practices Survey (mPINC)
  CDC has developed a survey of all labor and delivery service facilities in the United States in an effort to monitor maternity care practices associated with successful breastfeeding promotion and support. This systematic data collection of nationwide breastfeeding-related maternity care practices occurs every other year; the first survey was carried out in 2007, the second in 2009.
• HealthStyles Survey
  Healthstyles is a private proprietary national marketing survey that annually collects health-related opinions of men and women aged 18 years and above. Because Healthstyles includes a large, demographically diverse sample of the U.S. population, it reflects current social and cultural norms. CDC has contributed breastfeeding questions to the survey since 1999.