DOI: 10.3886/e154421v3
title: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) for Dementia Researchers, 2015-2019

description: This code and corresponding data files are intended
for use in cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias
(ADRD) research. The files include ten years of cleaned datasets derived from
the 2015-2024 years of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).
BRFSS is a system of phone surveys that collect state data on health-related
risk behaviors, chronic health conditions, and the use of preventive services in
the U.S. adult population. 

 

<br><br>BRFSS is conducted in three waves, or “versions,” each year. Core
questionnaires from BRFSS must be asked of all respondents in each wave and are
asked, with some exceptions, in all 50 U.S. states, D.C., and some U.S. territories for 2015-2024.
Individual states may opt to include additional modules, such as the Cognitive
Decline Module, that may be asked in some or all the waves. This project uses the “full year” files,
meaning that optional modules are only included for a state if they asked it in
all three waves. 

 

<br><br>The
provided datasets include cleaned sociodemographic information on respondents’
state, age, sex, race, education, and marital status from the full year data
files (e.g., “2016 BRFSS Data”). The datasets also include the Caregiver Module
and the Cognitive Decline Module for states which included either in all three
waves of data collection. All states are included regardless of Caregiver or
Cognitive Decline Module use. The files were constructed to allow for users to
append multiple years of data for longitudinal analysis. Brief and detailed
summaries of the variables available in these datasets along with more detailed
descriptions of performed data cleaning can be found in the provided data
dictionaries. Users may also refer to the provided “Overview of variables
across years” for a quick look at variation in questions across years. SAS,
Stata, and CSV data file formats are provided as are the full coding scripts
used in Stata.<br><br>Updated in Version 2 (released January, 2026): All files now include a unique identifier for each respondent (concatenation of state_fips/_state and seqno). The files are now available through 2024. Users should note that the Cognitive Decline Module had a significant refresh in 2023; the Caregiver Module had a significant refresh in 2024.<br>
description: For all years, users should set the weight to
the final weight (_llcpwt), strata should be set to the sample design
stratification variable (_ststr), and cluster/PSU should be set to the primary
sampling using (_psu).<br>
description: Presence of Common Scales: Caregiving Module; Cognitive Decline Module
description: Complex survey data with a stratified, clustered
sampling design, weighted to the state-level
description: U.S. and U.S. territory adults, weighted to the
state level. Smallest Geographic Unit: U.S. State / territory
description: telephone interview; Users of this resource should be familiar with complex
survey design and appropriately apply the sample weights, strata, and
cluster/primary sampling unit for any analyses. For all years, users should set
the weight to the final weight (_llcpwt), strata should be set to the sample
design stratification variable (_ststr), and cluster/PSU should be set to the
primary sampling using (_psu). 

 

<br><br>Note that the Cognitive Decline Modules was only asked of
respondents age 45 and older.