If 340-693-1021 appears on your caller ID, the V.I. Department of Health says you should consider answering: the call may be part of a territorywide survey designed to measure the health and well-being of Virgin Islands residents.
The Department’s Chronic Diseases and Prevention Division, working with the University of the Virgin Islands Eastern Caribbean Center and with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is conducting the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, or BRFSS. The telephone survey gathers information from adults about health behaviors, chronic conditions, preventive health practices and access to healthcare.
“Strong public health begins with strong data,” Health Commissioner Justa Encarnacion said. “The information residents provide through BRFSS gives us a clearer picture of the health needs of our community. We encourage residents who receive the call to participate. Their responses help us identify health trends and strengthen programs and services for the people of the Virgin Islands.”
The CDC describes BRFSS as the nation’s primary system of health-related telephone surveys, collecting information on risk behaviors, chronic health conditions and use of preventive services. The survey is conducted using randomly selected landline and cellphone numbers and includes participating U.S. territories, including the Virgin Islands.
Virgin Islands residents with a 340 area code may therefore receive calls on either a cellphone or landline. Participants must be at least 18 years old, and the interview is expected to take approximately 15 to 25 minutes. Calls may come during the day, in the evening or on weekends.
Ms. Encarnacion said she has already received the call and completed the survey herself. “Every response matters,” she said.
Participation is voluntary, and the Department says responses are confidential and anonymous. Residents can decline the survey, arrange another time for the interview or choose not to answer individual questions. Interviewers will not ask participants for money or banking information.
Lyña Fredericks, director of the Chronic Diseases and Prevention Division, said the information collected is used to guide specific public-health programs. “BRFSS gives us valuable information about chronic diseases and the health risks affecting people in the Virgin Islands,” she said. “We use that data to better understand the needs of our community and to develop and strengthen programs that address those needs, including our Comprehensive Cancer Control Program.”
CDC says BRFSS data are routinely used by state and territorial health agencies to track local health objectives, identify trends, plan programs and support disease-prevention and health-promotion efforts. The system conducts hundreds of thousands of adult interviews annually nationwide.
Residents seeking more information about the survey can contact the V.I. Department of Health at 340-774-7477, ext. 5677.
