Question: Is the state doing a health survey? I don’t usually answer calls from noncontacts but I made a mistake and picked up and it was something about health and I hung up thinking it was a scam. They called again but I didn’t answer. Can you check if this is legit?
Answer: Yes, Hawaii participates in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, the world’s largest ongoing public health survey, in conjunction with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state Department of Health contracts with OmniTrak Group, Inc., to interview Hawaii residents by phone seven days a week all year. The firm makes hundreds of thousands of calls to complete 6,500 surveys annually.
Officials urge any adult who is called to answer the survey, which is used to improve public health and keeps individual responses private; in short, these aren’t scam calls. Here are more details, from the DOH website and an interview Thursday with epidemiologist Lance Ching, whose work at DOH includes administrative oversight of the BRFSS and other population surveys:
>> OmniTrak’s call comes from 808-528-4050, on behalf of the Hawaii DOH and the CDC, asking about your health and health practices. This is a legitimate survey.
>> If you are invited to participate, you may contact DOH to confirm authenticity; call 808-586-8051 or email doh.brfss@doh.hawaii.gov. You can also visit the CDC’s BRFSS webpage, cdc.gov/brfss, or the DOH’s BRFSS webpage, health.hawaii.gov/brfss/.
>> The CDC sends Hawaii’s DOH a sample of randomly selected landline and cellphone numbers to call.
>> Interviewers may call multiple times trying to get through. “In 2023, we dialed 127,885 unique numbers, making approximately 569,400 call attempts to meet our goal” of completing 6,500 surveys.
>> If no one answers, the caller leaves a message that “informs recipients about the health survey, stresses the importance of their participation, provides a contact number for any questions, and informs them that we will attempt to reach them again.”
>> Calls may come from noon to 9 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.
>> Respondents must be at least 18 years old and live in Hawaii. Participation is voluntary. No compensation is offered.
>> People outside the random sample can’t volunteer to be interviewed.
>> The telephone survey takes about 25 minutes, collecting answers about health and health-related behaviors, such as access to medical care, tobacco use, and chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes and asthma, as well as demographic information including age, sex, race, ethnicity, education level and income.
>> Responses are anonymous and confidential. “Privacy is our top priority. Whatever they say can never be traced back to the individual,” Ching said.
>> Respondents can skip questions.
>> Responding to the survey won’t affect a person’s ability to receive government services, including Medicare or Medicaid.
>> The BRFSS is conducted in all 50 states and some U.S. territories; Hawaii has taken part continuously since 1986. Survey results help identify health problems, track trends and inspire solutions to improve quality of life across the state. “When you are selected to participate in the Hawaii-BRFSS, you ensure representation for yourself and others like you,” the website says.
>> Hawaii generally exceeds its target sample size and robust participation provides data to shape effective public health policy in a highly diverse state. “We want to be able to parse data by geography, demographics, etc. and gain very useful findings to make life better for people throughout our communities,” Ching said, citing as one example how BRFSS data bolstered DA BUX program, which benefits local farmers and improves nutrition for low-income residents by making it cheaper for people on SNAP (food stamps) to buy Hawaii-grown fruit and vegetables.
“I think when we are talking about how the BRFSS has helped shape public health in Hawaii for more than 30 years, it’s because it really gives us a chance to share our stories about health challenges, accessing care, etc. Everyone has a story to share and it’s really important that we hear it,” Ching said, encouraging residents to answer the survey. “It’s a call worth taking and I really do hope that people will share their stories with us. We can’t do it without the community.”
Mahalo
I would like to extend a very belated mahalo to Tamiko at Big Island Candies for her tireless efforts to help a distraught kupuna find a missing credit card. This happened a few weeks ago during the busy holiday shopping season. I retraced my steps to see if I had dropped or left my credit card in the store but it was not there. Although the store was very busy, Tamiko took the time to help and even walked me out the store in the direction of the management office (I didn’t know where it was) for more assistance. Fortunately, I was able to locate my card. Thanks to Tamiko for her kindness and concern! — A reader
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 2-200, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
