Could your cell phone be bad for your health ? Maybe . But not because it 's zapping your brain . More homes are using just the cell phones , which limits the CDC 's ability to collect health data . According to a report released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , as many as one-quarter of homes in certain areas , such as Oklahoma and Utah , lack a landline and are completely reliant on cell phones . While that 's terrific news for reducing the cost of phone bills , it may not be so great in terms of health -- or at least health care in general . The CDC often relies solely on landline phones when conducting large , state-based health surveys , conducted every year to determine sexual habits , childhood immunizations rates , and dozens of others factors related to American health . `` It does n't affect health per se , rather it has implications for how well the CDC and others can track the health of the nation , '' said Stephen Blumberg , senior scientist at the CDC 's National Center for Health Statistics . The federal government and states often use the survey information to set national health policies aimed at reducing the number of people who lack health insurance , decreasing high-risk behavior and determining immunization rates for children and teens , Blumberg said . The CDC 's report is the first to compare wireless phone -- only homes on a state-by-state basis . The new report is based on 2007 data , which found that Oklahoma had the highest percentage of cell phone -- only homes ( at 26 percent ) and Vermont has the lowest ( 5 percent ) . There are probably more landline-free homes now , as the rate has increased by 3 percentage points each year , said Blumberg . Health.com : Cell phone study suggests people are losing their wanderlust . `` I 'd expect today in 2009 the rate is probably 5 percentage points higher , perhaps even more , '' he said . Overall , about one in six American homes or about 18 percent , rely solely on wireless phones . The high rates of cell phone -- only homes were not that surprising , said Blumberg . What was surprising , he noted , was the wide variation from state to state . The rates of cell phone -- only homes are generally low in the Northeast ; for example , Connecticut ( 5.6 percent ) , New Jersey ( 8.0 percent ) and Delaware ( 5.7 percent ) have low rates . In other areas , it 's a different story- in Nebraska the rate is 23.2 percent , and in Arkansas it 's 22.6 percent . Check your state 's percentage of wireless phone -- only homes . The wide variation is due to factors such as income and age . Young adults living on their own in rentals , for instance , are less likely to have landlines . `` Households in poverty or near poverty are also more likely to be wireless-only , '' said Blumberg . While missing a pesky phone call from a CDC researcher asking probing questions about your private health information may seem like a good thing , it 's not , said Blumberg . `` As a result of missing all of these wireless-only households , those surveys can be biased , '' he explained . `` The potential for bias in Oklahoma is greater than the potential for bias in Vermont . '' Some major , national CDC surveys are done door-to-door , but many state surveys rely on landline phones . The CDC does n't use cell phones for a number of reasons , said Blumberg . Most callers are n't happy about using cell phone minutes to chat about a survey , and participants might want compensation for taking part in the survey . The Telephone Consumer Protection Act forbids the use of automated or computer-generated dialing to cell phone numbers . Researchers can do it by hand , but it costs more money . Researchers are considering finding ways to call cell phones or going back to an older method , in which surveys are mailed to specific addresses . It seems unlikely that Americans will be adding landlines back into the mix any time soon or ever , particularly given the added expense in a weak economy . Health.com : 10 ways to go from tired to terrific . `` All of the major surveys are already experimenting with methods of contacting the wireless only population , '' said Blumberg . `` It has to be done , but it requires additional money and experimentation to determine the best way to do it . '' Health.com : How exercise can help fibromyalgia . Enter to win a monthly Room Makeover Giveaway from MyHomeIdeas.com . Copyright Health Magazine 2009 .
CDC relies on landline phones for health surveys , conducted every year . The phone numbers are provided by the local telephone company and they have a database of all calls made to that number in their system. 26 percent of Oklahoma were cell phone-only homes ; Vermont had 5 percent .