COSTA MESA, Calif.—Randomly selected Orange County residents participated in a nationwide health survey Feb. 3 at the OC Fair and Event Center.
The county is one of 15 in the United States chosen to participate in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) voluntary National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which combines interviews and physical examinations to document the health of around 5000 adults and children nationwide each year.
“We are so happy and so thrilled to have this amount of work because we know that it is going to be important for us, but on the same line, we cannot do [this] without the support of our local partners and without the support of our local participants,” Dr. Tony Nguyen, chief medical officer of the survey and U.S Public Health Service captain, told onsite media.
The data of each participant represent about 65,000 people nationwide. The findings will go toward the nation’s standards for height, weight, and blood pressure, according to the CDC.
It will also serve a role in determining the prevalence of “major diseases” such as diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease, according to the health agency.
“[The survey] is so critically important to us, especially physicians, researchers, and universities and academic centers because it helps us understand the nutritional status of our residents.” Orange County’s chief health officer Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong told reporters.
Chinsio-Kwong also said the survey is also important in determining how COVID-19 has impacted the nation’s health.
“So many of us have been affected mentally and physically from COVID and its effects, and we need to understand its long-term consequence,” she said.
Four white semi-truck trailers connected in even rows sat behind a wooden podium set for speakers ranging from government officials to national medical professionals as they introduced the nation’s newest survey station area.
Within the medical trailers, volunteers started the survey in a small waiting area after being checked for COVID-19 and were given a mask before entry. Participants then made their way to the examination rooms equipped for liver analysis, x-rays, general health exams, and blood drawing.
Participants underwent interviews where they were asked about their health, diet, socioeconomic background, and demographics. Then, they underwent an examination consisting of medical, dental, and physiological measurements. They were given a Visa Debit card.
The collected data can serve the health of the population now and for decades to come, survey assistant Beryll Carrow told The Epoch Times.
“We’re passionate about this because there’s something medically published with the data all the time that can make a difference,” she said.
