BEHAVIORAL RISK FACTOR SURVEILLANCE OF AGED MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES, 1995

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is an ongoing S tate-based telephone survey of adults, administered through State heal th departments. The survey estimates health status and the prevalence of various risk factors among respondents, who include both fee-for-se rvice and managed care Medicare beneficiaries. In this article the aut hors present an overview of the BRFSS and report 1995 regional results among respondents who were 65 years of age or over and who had health insurance. The advantages and disadvantages of using the BRFSS as a t ool to monitor beneficiary health status and risk factors are also dis cussed.