Health risk factor surveys of commercial plan- and Medicaid-enrolled members of health-maintenance organizations--Michigan, 1995.

Behavioral risk factors involving tobacco use, improper diet, physical inactivity, alcohol abuse, and motor-vehicle-related injury contributed to approximately 850,000 deaths in the United States in 1990. CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) has been the primary means for tracking progress toward reduction of these and other health risks at the state level. This report summarizes the use of telephone surveys conducted by the Michigan Consortium for Quality Improvement in Health Care during April-August 1995 to evaluate the health-risk profiles of commercial plan- and Medicaid-enrolled health-maintenance organization (HMO) members in Michigan. The findings indicate that HMOs can use the BRFSS model to monitor health risks, health status, and use of preventive services among member groups.