The Hawaiʻi Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is an annual telephone survey of over 7,700 adults. We’ve have added close to 40 new health indicators, including modules on adverse childhood events, experiences of cancer survivors, and ocean-based physical activity, and additional indicators on a variety of topics. Here are some highlights from the 2020 BRFSS data:
- 7.6% of adults (100,900 residents) have ever been diagnosed with any type of cancer. This includes 6.7% of men and 8.4% of women (age-adjusted rate) in 2020, and ranged from 3.1% of Filipinos to 13.8% of Caucasians.
- When skin cancer is excluded, 4.7% of adults (63,600 residents) have ever been diagnosed with cancer, not skin, age-adjusted, including 3.6% of men and 5.7% of women in 2020. Cancer diagnosis varied by race/ethnicity from 3.5% among Other Pacific Islanders to 7.3% among Native Alaskan/American Indian and 5.8% among Native Hawaiians.
- 8.7% of cancer survivors reported pain caused by their cancer or cancer treatment and 61% of those persons report that their pain is under control.
- In 2020, 16.5% of adults reported ever being told by a health care professional that they had borderline or prediabetes. This is a significant increase from 12.9% in 2019.
