The Peru Gazette

CDC staff member Melanie Preston interviewing Craig Randall

Peru resident Cheryl Breen Randall and her husband Craig were among the few Clinton County residents selected to participate in the National Health and Nutrition Survey. Cheryl was kind enough to tell us about their experience and how the survey may impact our nation’s future health care.

By Cheryl Breen Randall 

It all started in the spring of this year when I received a bulk mailing from the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). As with most bulk mailings, I was about to throw it in the trash, but something about it caught my eye and I took a closer look. It was an invitation to participate in the National Health & Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a national health study initiated over sixty years ago by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. It stated that as a participant, my family and I would represent our community and help improve people’s health in the United States. I mentioned the mailing to my husband and we decided we could not turn down the invitation. 

Only 15 counties throughout the U.S. are selected annually to participate in the survey. Within those counties, certain areas are pinpointed for an invitation. The CDC selected 600 people in Clinton County. Those are pretty slim odds of being chosen to participate, but chosen we were! Each participant makes an important contribution to the study, representing approximately 65,000 others in the country like them. 

Participants range in age from three months to 90-plus years. Results of the survey throughout the years have led to significant policies to improve the health of Americans, such as the effects of lead, which led to lead-free paint, the dangers of second-hand smoke, which led to educating the public that exposure to second-hand smoke was as dangerous as smoking and developing growth charts for infants and children. 

Once we accepted the invitation, we were given a time for a phone interview with general questions about our health and lifestyle. This interview lasted about 40 minutes and we were gifted a $25 VISA card for participating! After that, we had a face-to-face interview in our home to further explore our health and lifestyle. Then we were invited to take a physical that included many health tests, including blood tests, urine tests, liver scans, bodily measurements including weight, height, length of upper arm and legs, and private questions about mental health and well-being. As senior citizens, we were not included in some testing studies; everyone can opt out of uncomfortable tests. Test results are provided to participants and can be mailed to their physicians. Results that go to the CDC for study are anonymous, with just a number and no name. The physical lasted about 2 ½ hours in special mobile units set up in the Champlain Center Mall on Smithfield Blvd. in Plattsburgh and not only were we reimbursed $30 for gas money, but we were gifted with a $125 VISA card for our time spent for the physical. Once the physical is completed, participants take part in two follow-up phone calls to discuss nutrition. Again, participants are reimbursed $25 for each interview for their time. 

We feel honored to have been selected and to take part in this national CDC health survey. As in many years past, its results may positively impact the nation’s health and well-being for many years to come.