TABLE 1.

Behaviors and Health Indicators from the North Carolina Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2018

Behavior or Health Indicator	BRFSS Question	Dichotomized Response
Risk-Taking Behaviors
Seatbelt Use	“How often do you use seat belts when you drive or ride in a car?”	Less Than Always versus Always
HIV Risk Behaviors	Respondents were asked a list of questions: “I am going to read you a list. When I am done, please tell me if any of the situations apply to you. You do not need to tell me which one. You have used intravenous drugs in the past year. You have been treated for a sexually transmitted or venereal disease in the past year. You have given or received money or drugs in exchange for sex in the past year. You had anal sex without a condom in the past year. You had four or more sex partners in the past year. Do any of these situations apply to you?”	This variable was dichotomized as yes if a respondent answered yes to any of these 5 items on the list or no if they did not answer yes to any of the 5 items on the list.
Problem/Pathological Gambling	This was defined by combining 3 questions: 1) “Have you ever tried to cut down or control your gambling?” 2) “Have you ever lied to family members or friends about how much you gamble or how much money you have lost gambling?” And 3) “Have there been periods for 2 weeks or more when you spent a lot of time thinking about gambling or planning future gambling?”	Respondents were coded in the problem/pathological gambling group if they answered yes to any of these 3 questions. Respondents who answered no to “In the past 12 months, have you gambled or played any games for money?” and answered no to the above 3 questions were coded as not being in the problem/pathological gambling group.
Difficulty Obtaining Health Care
Current health care coverage	“Do you have any kind of health care coverage, including health insurance, prepaid plans such as HMOs, government plans such as Medicare, or Indian Health Service?”	Yes versus No
Didn’t see a doctor due to health care cost in the past 12 months	“Was there a time in the past 12 months when you needed to see a doctor but could not because of cost?”	Yes versus No
Recent routine medical check-up	“About how long has it been since you last visited a doctor for a routine checkup?”	This variable was dichotomized as yes if the respondent answered they had a checkup in the past year (anytime less than 12 months ago) and no if the respondent answered they had a checkup a year or more ago or never
Health Status
General Health	“Would you say that in general your health is ______?”	Poor/Fair versus Good/Very Good/Excellent
Mental Health	“Now thinking about your mental health, which includes stress, depression, and problems with emotions, for how many days during the past 30 days was your mental health not good?”	This variable was dichotomized as not good (≥ 14 days of metal health not good) and good (< 14 days of mental health not good).
Sleep	“On average, how many hours of sleep do you get in a 24-hour period?”	< 7 hours versus ≥ 7 hours