Kendall County selected to be part of national health, nutrition survey

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the most comprehensive survey of the health and nutritional status of the U.S. population, is coming to the Kendall County beginning this Friday, June 3.

All counties and cities in the United States have a chance to be selected for the NHANES and, this year, Kendall County is one of 15 counties selected to be part of this survey. Each year, only 5,000 residents nationwide are chosen to participate in NHANES, conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

NHANES provides important national data on critical public health issues.

“NHANES serves as the nation’s ‘health check-up,’ by going into communities throughout the country to collect health information,” Brian C. Moyer, PhD, Director of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), said in a new release. “The survey provides a wealth of important data about many of the major health and nutritional issues affecting the country.”

Since 1960, NHANES has had a prominent role in improving the health of all people living in the U.S. NHANES data address critical health concerns, such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Public health officials, legislators, and physicians use this information to develop health policies, direct and design health programs, and services, and expand the Centers for Disease Control and health knowledge of the nation. NHANES data also help produce national references and standardized growth charts used by pediatricians across the country.

“It is the mission of the Kendall County Health Department to promote physical health, mental health, environmental health, protect the community’s health, prevent disease, and promote family economic self-sufficiency,” RaeAnn VanGundy, executive director of the Health Department, said in the release. “This is a unique opportunity for the residents of Kendall County to take part in an important survey that affects all of us and will provide feedback to help us understand where we need to focus our prevention and intervention strategies.”

NHANES collects a broad range of data that impact the lives of everyone in the country, regardless of age, addressing everything from air quality to vaccinations and the low-fat and “light” foods found in grocery stores. Now more than ever, collecting timely information on the status of the nation’s health is critical.

An NHANES team of health professionals, nutritionists, and health technicians is heading to Kendall County and strongly urges everyone who has been selected for the survey to participate.

Why should every eligible resident participate in NHANES?

• Participants receive a free and comprehensive health and nutrition evaluation.

• Participants help develop and evolve national health programs and policies.

• Participants receive a token of appreciation for their time.

• All information collected is confidential, as required by law.

Residents will have an invitation-only opportunity to participate in NHANES. Addresses are randomly sampled within Kendall County. By selecting participants this way, when combining data from all counties visited this year, NHANES data can more accurately represent the U.S. population.

Households will be sent one or more letters inviting them to be part of NHANES by completing a brief online questionnaire to see if anyone in their home is eligible to participate. Those eligible will be contacted by an NHANES representative to set up a telephone health interview at a convenient time, followed by a health examination that takes place in the NHANES mobile examination center.

While no medical care is provided directly in the mobile examination center, a report on physical findings is given to each participant, along with an explanation of those findings from survey medical staff.

All information collected in the survey is kept confidential and individual privacy is protected by law. NHANES is taking all precautions needed, as recommended by the CDC, to keep survey participants and staff safe by following guidelines on social distancing, use of personal protective equipment, hand washing, and sanitation of the mobile examination center and all equipment.