A urine test was performed on survey participants 8 years and older. If the urine pregnancy test was positive on any female participants aged 8-17 years, the result was confirmed using a serum test. All positive test results excluded pregnant women from the DXA and cardiovascular fitness components of the mobile examination center.
A pregnancy test was completed on female participants aged 12–59 years and menstruating females aged 8–11 years. However, due to disclosure risks only females between 20 and 44 have urine pregnancy results in this file.
Urine and serum specimens were tested in the NHANES mobile examination centers. Detailed specimen collection and processing instructions are discussed in the NHANES Laboratory/Medical Technologists Procedures Manual (LPM).
The Icon 25 hCG test kit (Beckman Coulter) is a rapid chromatographic immunoassay for the qualitative detection of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in urine or serum to aid in the early detection of pregnancy. The test utilizes a combination of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies to selectively detect elevated levels of hCG in urine or serum.
A detailed description of the laboratory method used can be found on the NHANES website.
Instructions on data processing and editing can be found on the NHANES website.
The NHANES quality control and quality assurance protocols (QA/QC) meet the 1988 Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act mandates. Detailed QA/QC instructions are discussed in the NHANES Laboratory/Medical Technologists Procedures Manual (LPM).
A detailed description of the quality assurance and quality control procedures can be found on the NHANES website.
Refer to the 2011-2012 Laboratory Data Overview for general information on NHANES laboratory data.
The analysis of NHANES 2011-2012 laboratory data must be conducted using the appropriate survey design and demographic variables. The NHANES 2011-2012 Demographics File contains demographic data, health indicators, and other related information collected during household interviews as well as the sample weight variables. The demographics file may be linked to the laboratory data file using the unique survey participant identifier (i.e., SEQN).Exam sample weights should be used for 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.
| Code or Value | Value Description | Count | Cumulative | Skip to Item |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Positive | 55 | 55 | |
| 2 | Negative | 1094 | 1149 | |
| 3 | Not done | 18 | 1167 | |
| 4 | Invalid | 0 | 1167 | |
| . | Missing | 0 | 1167 |