Table 1.
Overall number and ranking of reliability and validity tests for BRFSS estimates
| Topic | Number of reliability/ validity tests identified | Quality of reliability tests | Quality of validity tests | Overall assessment of BRFSS validity and reliability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Access to Health Care/ General Health |
4 |
High (test/retest) |
High (comparisons with other surveys and HMO records) |
High levels of reliability and validity using published information and test retest methods; BRFSS noted to have higher proportions of persons reporting poorer health. |
| Immunization and Preventive testing |
4 |
High (test/retest) |
High (comparisons with other surveys, national registry data, medical records) |
BRFSS rates highly reliable; Validity testing against medical records of individuals high; Validity testing indicating over reporting for some screening tests |
| Physical activity |
8 |
High (test/retest; time trend) |
High (comparisons with other surveys, respondent logs, accelerometers, physical measures) |
Better reliability assessment among physically active groups; self-reports substantially reliable; Validity when compared to physical measures moderate |
| Chronic conditions |
4 |
High (test/retest; comparisons with telephone and written responses) |
High (comparisons with physical measures, prescription drug use data, medical history) |
High levels of agreement in reliability testing; Some differences in prevalence rates among national surveys when compared to physical measures. |
| Mental Health Measures |
2 |
High (test/retest with multiple indicators) |
N/A |
Substantial agreement between test/retest measures |
| Obesity |
3 |
N/A |
Moderate (comparisons against other national surveys, physical measures) |
Self-reports reliable across modes; Differences between self-reports and physical measures |
| Tobacco use |
2 |
N/A |
Moderate (comparisons with other national surveys, physical measures) |
Self-reports reliable across modes; Differences between self-reports and physical measures |
| Alcohol/Substance abuse |
2 |
Moderate |
Moderate (comparisons with other national surveys) |
Trends and risk factors in BRFSS validated by other national surveys; BRFSS prevalence rates lower than other measures at national level and some state levels |
| Health risk and Sexual behavior |
2 |
N/A |
Moderate (comparisons with other national surveys) |
BRFSS produces slightly higher level estimates of measures than other national survey; Differences in prevalence rates of HIV testing question. |
| Injury and violence | 1 | N/A | Moderate (comparisons with other survey in nonrandom setting) | High levels of agreement between two surveys using nonrandom samples |