AVON LAKE, Ohio — Northeast Ohio will be part of a national study on Americans’ health. Communities in Lorain County have been selected to take part in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
“If you’re in Lorain County and you get a letter in the mail from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, it is a real thing,” said Robert Rua, the Communications and Technology Director for Avon Lake. “They really do need people to participate in this because the data they collect actually then does inform public health policy.”
Rua said Avon Lake was informed in early July that a portion of the city had been selected for the annual survey.
NHANES collects data from 5,000 people annually about their health, diet and lifestyle. The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics conducts the survey, randomly selecting households in scientifically chosen regions to create an accurate representation of U.S. health trends.
This month, the randomly selected participants will receive a mailer informing them about the survey. Then they’ll get a visit from an NHANES representative who will conduct a health interview. After the visit, the individual will be asked to schedule a health exam at the NHANES mobile exam vehicle, which will be based at Lorain County Community College.
The CDC says data collected by NHANES can help assess health trends, inform public policy and shape the way doctors treat patients.
“We want our health policies to be based on real data. Much like the census, without data we don’t really know what’s going on out in the communities and what health and nutrition look like in Lorain County or Butler County or anywhere else,” said Rua.
The survey will begin in mid-July and go through September.
If you want more information about NHANES, you can call 1-800-344-1386 or click here.
