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North Carolina 2000 Survey Results Relating to Caregiving
The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
View Caregiving Survey question results
[ 2000 Results ] [ 2003 Results ] [ Comparisons 2000 and 2003 ]

What is the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System?

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is a random telephone survey of adults living in private households. It is designed to collect information about health status, heath behaviors and use of health services in North Carolina and the U.S. The BRFSS is a cooperative agreement with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and all states, the District of Columbia, and three U.S. territories.

In North Carolina, the State Center for Health Statistics (SCHS) within the Division of Public Health of the Department of Health and Human Services conducts the BRFSS Survey annually. The core questions were developed by the CDC and are asked each year by all states. The optional questions are sponsored by different federal and state agencies and may vary from state to state and year to year. Data are used to determine priority health issues, develop strategic plans, and identify appropriate target populations, monitor the effectiveness of interventions, and support appropriate policies.

What is the nature of the questions relating to caregiving?

In 2000, the U.S. Administration on Aging (AoA) sponsored a number of BRFSS questions including six relating to adults who provide or receive care in the home. The first question was to find out who is providing care for a person age 60 or older. The second question was to find out whom people would call if an older friend or relative needed assistance. The last four questions were directed to persons who are in need of care themselves. To date, the information from this and the 2003 survey are the only data available specifically on caregiving in North Carolina. An electronic version of the survey results is available on the SCHS website:http://www.schs.state.nc.us/SCHS/.

The NC Division of Aging and Adult Services sponsored two questions in 2003. The first question was the same as question 1 in 2000. The second question, however, seeks to find out the percentages of North Carolina Caregivers taking care of someone with dementia.

What are the major limitations of the BRFSS data?

Although these data can be very useful in getting an idea of the number of people providing care, where they go for assistance and whether or not the assistance meets their needs, there are limitations to the interpretation of these data.

    • One limitation of a telephone survey is the lack of coverage of persons who live in households without a telephone. Telephone surveys reach only about 95% of U.S. households. Certain groups are underrepresented in this figure due to lack of phone service. These groups include persons living in the South, minorities and lower socio-economic groups. The data have been adjusted somewhat to offset this limitation.
    • Another caveat is that the terms used to inquire about the provision of care are not clearly defined. "[People may] provide regular care or assistance to [someone] who is elderly or has a long-term illness or disability. During the past month, did you provide any such care or assistance to a family member or friend who is 60 years of age or older?" The terms "regular care" or "assistance" and the terms "long-term illness or disability" are not defined. Respondents may interpret these terms differently.
    • Data are self-reported by the respondents. This is limited, again, by each person’s interpretation of the question. Surveys based on self-reported information may be less accurate than those based on concrete measurements or reports. Self reported data depend on the person’s memory or recall. People tend to overreport "positive" behaviors and underreport "negative" behaviors.

How does North Carolina compare with other states in the number of caregivers (persons providing regular care or assistance) for someone age 60 or older?

Each state conducts the BRFSS annually. Each state survey in 2000 included at least two questions about caregiving. Over 180,000 adults nationwide (3,000 in North Carolina) responded to these questions in a random telephone survey.

From that we were able to able to learn how North Carolina compares to other states.

    • North Carolina ranked above the national average in percentage of adults providing care to someone 60 or older.
    • Only 10 states reported having a higher percentage of caregivers for older adults according to this 2000 survey.

Since North Carolina sponsored the 2003 questions for our state only, we have no data to compare North Carolina with other states for 2003.

To see how North Carolina compared with other states in 2000, click link below: