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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Robert M. Brackbill, PhD1, Thomas A. Melnik, DrPH, MS2, David W Smith, PhD3, and Colleen T. Baker2. (1) Office of Surveillance and Epidemiology, New York City Department of Health, 125 Worth St, Rm 315, New York City, NY 10013, 212 788 5331, rbrackbi@health.nyc.gov, (2) Bureau of Chronic Disease Epidemiology and Surveillance, New York State Department of Health, Corning Tower Building, Albany, NY 12237, (3) Consultant, 45 The Crosway, Delmar, NY 12054
Background. The terrorist attacks on the WTC in NYC resulted in the loss of thousands of lives, billions of dollars in property damage and major reduction of the NYC economy and quality of life. NYC public health officials rapidly sought information on prevalence of mental health problems. Data from the New York State Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (NYSBRFSS) were used to monitor NYC residents' mental health. Method. Questions added after September 11 to the NYSBRFSS, an ongoing household RDD survey, were used to ascertain respondent's proximity to the disaster. Weighted data, June to August (pre 9/11), and, October 8 through December, 2001 (post 9/11) for NYC (n=306 pre and 382 post) and rest of NYS (n=658 pre and 786 post) provided number of reported days (in past 30) of mental health problems, feeling blue, anxiety, or not sleeping. SUDAAN was used to compute estimates and 95% confidence intervals. Results and Conclusion. NYC residents reported an average of 8.4 (5.9-10.9) anxiety days in October and 7.8 ( 5.8-9.7)anxiety days in November (versus 6.5 (5.3-7.7) prior to 9/11). Respondents in the rest of New York State reported 6.4 (3.4-5.4) and 5.2 (4.2-6.2) anxiety days in October and November. However, NYC residents who had been evacuated from downtown Manhattan and missed work reported 19 (8.6-29.4) anxiety days in October and 10 (3.2-17.2) days in November versus 6.3 (3.0-9.6) and 6.8 (4.4-9.2) anxiety days respectively for other NYC residents who did not have these experiences. These results indicate that BRFS can be used for monitoring mental health at a population level.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Survey, Mental Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.