• Component Description
• Eligible Sample
• Interview Setting and Mode of Administration
• Quality Assurance & Quality Control
• Data Processing and Editing
• Analytic Notes
• Codebook
  • SEQN - Respondent sequence number
  • DED031 - Skin reaction to sun after non-exposure
  • DEQ034A - Stay in the shade?
  • DEQ034C - Wear a long sleeved shirt
  • DEQ034D - Use sunscreen?
  • DEQ038G - In past yr did you have sunburn?
  • DEQ038Q - # of times in past yr you had a sunburn
  • DED120 - Minutes outdoors 9am - 5pm work day
  • DED125 - Minutes outdoors 9am - 5pm not work day

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

2009-2010 Data Documentation, Codebook, and Frequencies

Dermatology (DEQ_F)

Data File: DEQ_F.xpt

First Published: August 2012

Last Revised: August 2017

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