Which two surveillance systems are commonly used in chronic disease epidemiology to monitor population health?

• A. BRFSS and NHANES
• B. BRFSS and Vital Statistics
• C. NHANES and Cancer Registries
• D. BRFSS and Cancer Registries

Answer: (B)

Two surveillance systems commonly used to monitor population health in chronic disease epidemiology are BRFSS and Vital Statistics. BRFSS is a state-based telephone survey that collects data on health risk behaviors, chronic conditions, and preventive practices among adults, providing timely, representative prevalence data and trends across populations. Vital Statistics encompasses birth and death records compiled nationally, yielding mortality rates by cause, age, sex, and race, which are essential for tracking the mortality burden of chronic diseases and estimating life expectancy. Together, they give a broad view of population health: BRFSS shows how common risk factors are, while Vital Statistics shows the ultimate health outcomes in terms of deaths and mortality patterns. Other systems like NHANES offer detailed clinical data but aren’t used for routine, broad population surveillance in the same way, and Cancer Registries focus on cancer incidence and survival rather than overall chronic disease monitoring.