Age-Adjusted BRFSS Percents
Rationale: To compare risk or prevalence between populations with different age structures, it is generally recommended to adjust for age. Age-adjusted rates are used to compare death rates between populations. When possible, Healthy People 2010 and 2020 Objectives with BRFSS data use age-adjustment.
Example: Without age-adjustment, analyses can be misleading or incorrect, as shown below:
• Percent Yes (Not Age-Adjusted) (Not AA)
• Percent Yes (Is Age-Adjusted) (Is AA)
Summary table showing the differences:
| Ever had diabetes (excluding pregnancy)? | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Weighted % Yes | |
| Not AA | Is AA | |
| White | 7.1% | 6.4% |
| Black | 12.1% | 12.9% |
| Hispanic | 8.0% | 11.4% |
Not AA - Hispanic (8.0%) - White (7.1%) = 0.9% (Misleading)
Is AA - Hispanic (11.4%) - White (6.4%) = 5.0% (Correct)
Status: We have added age-adjusted percents to Vitalnet BRFSS Query & Mapping Software. This lets you quickly and reliably do BRFSS age-adjusted analyses, with:
• No programming knowledge required.
• Assurance of correct, fully documented results.
• Publication-ready results quickly and automatically produced.
Verification: By comparing with existing age-adjusted analyses from other sources, we verified Vitalnet is producing correct BRFSS age-adjusted percents.
Population standard: We use distribution #10 from Klein and Schoenborn (2001). If your state uses a different standard, we can build it in as you specify.
Contact us if you have suggestions / comments, or to license Vitalnet BRFSS Query & Mapping Software to make better use of your data.