Health Indicator Report of Health Status: Mental Health Past 30 Days
Mental health refers to an individual's ability to negotiate the daily challenges and social interactions of life without experiencing undue emotional or behavioral incapacity. Mental health and mental disorders can be influenced by numerous conditions including biologic and genetic vulnerabilities, acute or chronic physical dysfunction, and environmental conditions and stresses. The BRFSS mental health question is an attempt to obtain a global measure of recent mental and emotional distress.
Notes
Age-adjusted to the U.S. 2000 standard population. U.S. data are the average for all states and the District of Columbia but do not include the U.S. territories. In 2002 the U.S. data includes only 22 states that asked the question. Starting in 2009, the BRFSS included both landline and cell phone respondent interviews along with a new weighting methodology called iterative proportional fitting, or raking. More details about these changes can be found at: [https://ibis.health.utah.gov/pdf/opha/resource/brfss/RakingImpact2011.pdf]. Note: At the time of this update, the BRFSS U.S. dataset did not include an age variable but did include five age categories up to age 80+ (vs. the typical weighting scheme that includes 85+). Comparisons with both weighting schemes were compared using Utah data, and the difference was about 1/100 of a percentage point.Data Sources
- Utah Department of Health and Human Services Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) [https://ibis.health.utah.gov/ibisph-view/query/selection/brfss/BRFSSSelection.html]
- Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Data, US Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Data Interpretation Issues
Question Text: "Now thinking about your mental health, which includes stress, depression, and problems with emotions, for how many days during the past 30 days was your mental health NOT good?" Increased number of U.S. households without landline phones and an under-representation of certain demographic groups that were not well-represented in the sample. More details about these changes can be found at: [https://ibis.health.utah.gov/pdf/opha/resource/brfss/RakingImpact2011.pdf]. As with all surveys, some error results from non-response (e.g., refusal to participate in the survey or to answer specific questions), and measurement (e.g., social desirability or recall bias). Error was minimized by use of strict calling protocols, good questionnaire design, standardization of interviewer behavior, interviewer training, and frequent, on-site interviewer monitoring and supervision.Definition
Percentage of adults aged 18 years and older who reported seven or more days when their mental health was not good in the past 30 days.Numerator
Number of survey respondents who reported seven or more days when their mental health was not good in the past 30 days.Denominator
Total number of survey respondents excluding those with missing, "Don't know/Not sure," and "Refused" responses.How Are We Doing?
In 2022, approximately 25.4% (crude rate) of Utah adults reported seven or more days when their mental health was not good in the past 30 days. This percentage was higher for adults with lower income levels. Older adults are less likely to report poor mental health status. In order to analyze the BRFSS data by race, we combined years 2020-2022 using the new BRFSS methodology. According to this analysis using age-adjusted rates, the American Indian/Native Alaskan population reported the highest percentage of seven or more days when their mental health was not good in the past 30 days (29.7%) while Utah Pacific Islander adults reported the lowest percentage (17.9%).How Do We Compare With the U.S.?
Looking at age-adjusted rates for 2022, more Utah adults reported seven or more days when their mental health was not good in the past 30 days (24.6%) when compared to adults in the U.S. as a whole (23.5%), though the difference was not statistically significant.Available Services
The Utah Department of Health and Human Services Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (OSUMH) is Utah's public mental health and substance use authority. This office consults and coordinates with federal, state, and local partners regarding programs and services. The office also contracts for substance use and mental health programs funded with state and federal funds. In crisis? Call the Utah Crisis Line (988) for immediate, free, confidential support. 24 hours, 7 days a week.
Page Content Updated On 11/17/2023,
Published on 04/11/2024
