An effort by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to survey Nueces County residents and gauge the health of the nation will conclude later this month.
The CDClaunched the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in the county on Jan. 28. and will conclude operations on Mar. 25.
Nueces County was selected as one of 15 counties across the nation to take part in the survey, which takes a comprehensive look at the health and nutritional status of the United States population.
The CDC hopes to find 600 participants in Nueces County for the survey. They were about halfway there as of Friday, said NHANES Field Director George Dixon.
The survey collects a range of information that affects the health of U.S. citizens. From air quality to vaccinations, the survey collects timely data to get an accurate picture of the nation’s health, he said.
The counties selected as well as the participants are chosen randomly. Households that are selected for the survey will receive a letter in the mail asking them to complete an online questionnaire to see if they are eligible to participate.
If deemed eligible, a survey representative will conduct a telephone health interview, followed by a health examination in a mobile examination center. The testing center, which is housed in four conjoined semi-trailers, is located near Del Mar College’s West Campus.
More:Nueces County COVID-19 tracker: Here’s case, death and hospital data for February
Dixon said the information collected during the surveys is confidential and that the findings could potentially improve health outcomes across the country.
“This data is is very important for everybody that lives in the United States. Essentially, we use this data for is just to improve the health of the nation: from the air we breathe to the food we eat,” he said. “It’s honestly like a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If you get selected for this, it’s like a golden ticket to be part of something that is changing the nation so drastically.”
Chase Rogers covers local government and industry in South Texas. Contact him at chase.rogers@caller.com or on Twitter @chasedrogers. Support local journalism with a subscription to the Caller-Times.
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