Table of Contents

Component Description

The Dermatology questionnaire section (DEQ) provides personal interview data on sun exposure and sun protective behavior.

Eligible Sample

The target group for this questionnaire section is participants aged 20-59 years.

Interview Setting and Mode of Administration

These questions were asked, in the home, by trained interviewers using the Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) system.

Quality Assurance & Quality Control

The CAPI system is programmed with built-in consistency checks to reduce data entry errors. CAPI also uses online help screens to assist interviewers in defining key terms used in the questionnaire.

Data Processing and Editing

Frequency counts were verified during the preparation of the file.

Analytic Notes

Responses to questions on time spent outside on work or school days (DEQ120) and on days not at work or at school (DEQ125) were collected in either hours or minutes. For data release purposes all responses were converted to minutes. If participants indicated that they did not spend any time outdoors then their values for these questions were set to zero. The corresponding description in the codebook is “no time spent outdoors”. Values of 1-14 minutes were grouped into one category. The code “3333” was set for participants who reported “does not work or go to school” to DEQ120 or “at work or at school 9 to 5 seven days a week” to DEQ125. These variables were then renamed DED120 and DED125 for release, respectively.

Responses to question DEQ038Q, “How many times in the past year have you had a sunburn?”, with values of 20 or more, were combined into one category.

Analysts should be aware that some questions may have very few responses for some categories. Even with two years of data collection, there may not be sufficient sample size for such variables to be analytically useful. In these cases, it may be necessary to combine more than two years of data to conduct analysis. The dermatology questionnaire has been in NHANES since the survey became continuous in 1999. The questions asked in a given 2 year cycle were sometimes modified to focus on different dermatologic topics. In 2007-08 the dermatology section was modified to focus more on sun exposure and sun protective behaviors, etc. The 2009-10 dermatology section is identical to that used in 2007-08. However, data collection for the 2007-08 dermatology questionnaire did not start at the beginning of the year 2007. Therefore, due to sample size and other disclosure concerns, 2007-08 data for this component are not available publically. It is, however, available as a limited access file through the NCHS Research Data Center (RDC). Researchers interested in combining data from these two cycles please refer to the RDC website for more information .

Although these data were collected as part of the household questionnaire, if they are merged with the MEC exam data, exam sample weights should be used for the analyses. Please refer to the NHANES Analytic Guidelines and the on-line NHANES Tutorial for further details on the use of sample weights and other analytic issues. Both of these are available on the NHANES website.

Codebook and Frequencies

SEQN - Respondent sequence number

Variable Name:
SEQN
SAS Label:
Respondent sequence number
English Text:
Respondent sequence number.
Target:
Both males and females 20 YEARS - 59 YEARS

DED031 - Skin reaction to sun after non-exposure

Variable Name:
DED031
SAS Label:
Skin reaction to sun after non-exposure
English Text:
If after several months of not being in the sun, {you/SP} then went out in the sun without sunscreen or protective clothing for a half hour, which one of these would happen to {your/his/her} skin?
English Instructions:
HAND CARD DEQ2
Target:
Both males and females 20 YEARS - 59 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Get a severe sunburn with blisters 69 69
2 A severe sunburn for a few days with peeling 326 395
3 Mildly burned with some tanning 1000 1395
4 Turning darker without a sunburn 865 2260
5 Nothing would happen in half an hour 1834 4094
6 Other 37 4131
77 Refused 0 4131
99 Don't know 13 4144
. Missing 1 4145

DEQ034A - Stay in the shade?

Variable Name:
DEQ034A
SAS Label:
Stay in the shade?
English Text:
When {you go/SP goes} outside on a very sunny day, for more than one hour, how often {do you/does SP} Stay in the shade?
English Instructions:
HAND CARD DEQ2A
Target:
Both males and females 20 YEARS - 59 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Always 468 468
2 Most of the time 932 1400
3 Sometimes 1518 2918
4 Rarely, or 643 3561
5 Never? 556 4117
6 Don't go out in the sun 24 4141 DEQ038G
77 Refused 0 4141
99 Don't know 3 4144
. Missing 1 4145

DEQ034C - Wear a long sleeved shirt

Variable Name:
DEQ034C
SAS Label:
Wear a long sleeved shirt
English Text:
Wear a long sleeved shirt? Would you say . . .
English Instructions:
HAND CARD DEQ2A
Target:
Both males and females 20 YEARS - 59 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Always 234 234
2 Most of the time 230 464
3 Sometimes 750 1214
4 Rarely, or 737 1951
5 Never? 2167 4118
7 Refused 0 4118
9 Don't know 2 4120
. Missing 25 4145

DEQ034D - Use sunscreen?

Variable Name:
DEQ034D
SAS Label:
Use sunscreen?
English Text:
Use sunscreen? Would you say . . .
English Instructions:
HAND CARD DEQ2A
Target:
Both males and females 20 YEARS - 59 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Always 511 511
2 Most of the time 456 967
3 Sometimes 715 1682
4 Rarely, or 500 2182
5 Never? 1936 4118 DEQ038G
7 Refused 0 4118 DEQ038G
9 Don't know 2 4120 DEQ038G
. Missing 25 4145

DEQ038G - In past yr did you have sunburn?

Variable Name:
DEQ038G
SAS Label:
In past yr did you have sunburn?
English Text:
How many times in the past year {have you/has SP} had a sunburn?
English Instructions:
GATE QUESTION CAPI INSTRUCTION: BUILD HARD EDITS 1-365.
Target:
Both males and females 20 YEARS - 59 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Enter number 1495 1495
2 Never 2639 4134
7 Refused 0 4134
9 Don't know 10 4144
. Missing 1 4145

DEQ038Q - # of times in past yr you had a sunburn

Variable Name:
DEQ038Q
SAS Label:
# of times in past yr you had a sunburn
English Text:
How many times in the past year {have you/has SP} had a sunburn?
English Instructions:
ENTER NUMBER OF TIMES
Target:
Both males and females 20 YEARS - 59 YEARS
Hard Edits:
1 to 19
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 to 15 Range of Values 1486 1486
20 20 or more times 7 1493
77777 Refused 0 1493
99999 Don't know 2 1495
. Missing 2650 4145

DED120 - Minutes outdoors 9am - 5pm work day

Variable Name:
DED120
SAS Label:
Minutes outdoors 9am - 5pm work day
English Text:
The next questions ask about the time you spent outdoors during the past 30 days. By outdoors, I mean outside and not under any shade. How much time did you usually spend outdoors between 9 in the morning and 5 in the afternoon on the days that you worked or went to school?
English Instructions:
ENTER NUMBER OF MINUTES
Target:
Both males and females 20 YEARS - 59 YEARS
Hard Edits:
0 to 480
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
15 to 480 Range of Values 2190 2190
0 No time spent outdoors 1219 3409
14 1-14 minutes 86 3495
3333 Does not work or go to school 640 4135
7777 Refused 0 4135
9999 Don't Know 5 4140
. Missing 5 4145

DED125 - Minutes outdoors 9am - 5pm not work day

Variable Name:
DED125
SAS Label:
Minutes outdoors 9am - 5pm not work day
English Text:
During the past 30 days, how much time did you usually spend outdoors between 9 in the morning and 5 in the afternoon on the days when you were not working or going to school?
English Instructions:
ENTER NUMBER OF MINUTES
Target:
Both males and females 20 YEARS - 59 YEARS
Hard Edits:
0 to 480
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
15 to 480 Range of Values 3436 3436
0 No time spent outdoors 630 4066
14 1-14 minutes 47 4113
3333 At work or at school 9 to 5 seven days a week 17 4130
7777 Refused 0 4130
9999 Don't Know 10 4140
. Missing 5 4145