PICKENS COUNTY — Each year, of the 3,141 counties in the United States, 15 are selected as sample locations to take part in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
For the 2017 survey, Pickens County was selected as one of the 15.
NHANES is conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics — a branch of the Centers for Disease Control — and is considered by health professionals to be the most comprehensive survey of the health and nutritional status of the U.S. population.
The study compiles data on public health problems from a national perspective by surveying 5,000 Americans from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.
“NHANES serves as the nation’s ‘health check-up,’ going into communities to collect health information throughout the country,” said Charles J. Rothwell, director of the NCHS. “The survey is a unique resource for health information and without it we would lack important knowledge about major health conditions.”
This year’s survey kicks off Feb. 25.
Since its inception, NHANES has provided public health officials, legislators and physicians all around the country with statistics and national health trends to help develop health policies.
The data collected also helps to direct and design health programs and services and expand the health knowledge for the nation as a whole.
In the past, NHANES findings have provided health-related information on issues such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In addition, NHANES data is used to produce national references and is used to create standardized growth charts for pediatricians across the country.
“Everyone in the U.S., from babies yet to be born to the elderly, has benefited from the information gathered by NHANES,” said a CDC spokesperson. “The comprehensive data collected by NHANES has a far-reaching and significant impact on everything from the quality of the air we breathe, to the vaccinations you get from your doctor, to the emergence of low-fat and ‘light’ foods on the shelves of your grocery store.”
According to the NCHS website, residents asked to participate were selected at random “in a process similar to taking names out of a hat.” Those residents include all ages, races and ethnicities “to represent the U.S. population as a whole.”
If selected, participation is entirely voluntary.
Respondents first participate in a health interview conducted in the respondent’s home followed by a health examination that takes place in one of three mobile examination centers, the website states.
It also says that while no medical care is provided in the mobile examination center, a report on physical findings is given to each participant along with an explanation from the survey medical staff. Time and travel expenses for participants is compensated.
All information collected in the survey is kept confidential and privacy is protected by law.
“The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for more than 55 years has provided important information on major diseases, risk factors for diseases and the relationship between nutrition and overall health of all people living in the United States,” said Matt Petrofes, health director for the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Upstate Region.
“More than 5,000 people across the country will participate this year, and approximately 343 of them will be from Pickens County,” he added. “I encourage community members to participate in this survey if they are selected because they will learn valuable information about their own health while contributing to national research.”