March 6, 2007
Contact: Bev Pfeifer-Harms
Director of Communications
314.345.5500 office

MDHSS Contact: Janet Wilson
573.526.6660

County-Level Health Telephone Survey Begins

49,000 Missouri Residents Should Expect Calls On Tobacco and Health Concerns

St. Louis - - Telephone calls to approximately 49,000 Missouri residents have begun, as a comprehensive health survey gets underway this week to evaluate the tobacco use in the state and the prevalence of associated chronic diseases. The telephone survey is gathering data in all 114 Missouri counties and the City of St. Louis. It is the largest adult health survey ever conducted in the state and one of the largest in the United States. The survey is funded through a $1.4 million grant to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (MDHSS) given by Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH) in late 2006. Telephone interviews for the survey are being conducted by MU's Health and Behavioral Risk Research Center, a Center within the MU School of Medicine's Department of Health Management and Informatics.

Results from the survey are expected to improve understanding of the issues related to tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke and the subsequent health issues at the county level. This should enable individual counties to develop better strategies to prevent tobacco use, encourage cessation, reduce exposure to secondhand smoke and address related health concerns, based on the specific needs in their communities.

The survey also will help practitioners and policy makers. "The survey will allow us to target certain counties where money is needed for prevention and treatment of associated diseases," said Julie Kapp, Ph.D., research assistant professor of Health Management and Informatics at MU's School of Medicine and Director of the research center.

"Our goal is to provide an historic contribution to the state's public health data system," said Dr. James R. Kimmey, MFH President and CEO. "Following the project's completion, health care institutions and community-based organizations will have access to accurate, local-level data to support and enhance their programming activities.

"We encourage anyone who receives a call for this survey to take the time to participate. By being part of the survey, you are helping to make Missouri a healthier state, as we work to reduce the serious health impact of tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke."

Calls for the telephone survey are expected to continue throughout 2007. This comprehensive survey is an important element of MFH's Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Initiative, a nine-year, $40 million funding effort. Now in its third year of funding, the Initiative aims to reduce use of tobacco products in Missouri, which has one of the highest smoking rates in the country. The survey also will help MFH evaluate the effectiveness of program funding through the Initiative.

MFH plans to release a formal report next year detailing the study's findings, and MDHSS will post the study results on its website.

Established in 2000 through the for-profit conversion of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Missouri, MFH is the largest non-governmental funder of community health activities in the state. The Foundation is in its sixth year of grantmaking, issuing more than $200 million in grants and awards to date. It is dedicated to serving the uninsured and underserved in 84 Missouri counties and the City of St. Louis.

The MU research center strives to improve the health of the population and advance science through surveillance, research and practice. Telephone-based surveys account for about 90 percent of the center's work.

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