Table of Contents

Component Description

The Current Health Status section (variable name prefix HSQ) provides personal interview data on overall health assessment, recent illness (past 30 days), blood donation, and AIDS testing.

Eligible Sample

Study participants aged 1-11 years are only asked 3 questions regarding recent illness (HSQ500, HSQ510, and HSQ520). The remaining questions are asked of participants 12 years of age and older, except for the blood donation and AIDS testing questions which are asked of participants 16 years of age and older.

Interview Setting and Mode of Administration

The current health status questionnaire was done in the Mobile Examination Center (MEC), by trained interviewers using the Computer-Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) system. It was conducted by a MEC interviewer, during the MEC Interview, for study participants 12 and older. It was conducted by a dietary interviewer, during the MEC dietary recall interview, for study participants 1-11 years old (proxy interview).

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.
All of the data was reviewed for accuracy and completeness.

Data Processing and Editing

Frequency counts were verified during the preparation of the file.

Analytic Notes

HSD010 This identical question is asked in the Hospital Utilization section of the household questionnaire (HUQ010). There is a small difference in the administration of the two questions. Participants aged 12-15 years have proxy responses in the household, but respond for themselves at the MEC. Many participants had different responses to this question in the household interview, compared to their responses during the MEC interview. Analysts should consider which of the two versions of this question is best to use for the purposes of their analyses.

HSQ500, HSQ510, and HSQ520 were asked in the Dietary Recall section for participants aged 1–11 years. Respondents 12 years and older were asked the same questions during the MECInterview using CAPI. (The variable HSAQUEX identifies the source of data for each respondent.)

HSQ571 The question on blood donation, HSQ570, was re-worded in 2002 (dropping the phrase “a year ago”) and was re-numbered HSQ571. For the 2001-2002 data release, responses to both versions of this question were combined into one variable, named HSD570. For data releases from 2003-2014, only question HSQ571 was asked.

In 2014, five questions (see below) were dropped from the survey. Data collected for these variables in 2013 will not be released publically due to sample size and data disclosure concerns, etc.The 2013 information for these five variables is only available through the NCHS Research Data Center (RDC). The specific questions dropped are as follows:

 HSQ470  Past 30 days physical health not good  
 HSQ480  Past 30 days mental heals not good
 HSQ490  Past 30 days No. of days poor physical or mental health keep you from usual activities
 HSQ493  Past 30 days No. of days hard to do usual activities due to pain
 HSQ496  Past 30 days No. of days  felt worried, tense or anxious

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.

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 1 YEARS - 150 YEARS

HSD010 - General health condition

Variable Name:
HSD010
SAS Label:
General health condition
English Text:
Next I have some general questions about {your/SP's} health. Would you say {your/SP's} health in general is . . .
Target:
Both males and females 12 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Excellent 641 641
2 Very good, 1826 2467
3 Good, 2605 5072
4 Fair, or 1186 6258
5 Poor? 208 6466
7 Refused 0 6466
9 Don't know 1 6467
. Missing 2955 9422

HSQ500 - SP have head cold or chest cold

Variable Name:
HSQ500
SAS Label:
SP have head cold or chest cold
English Text:
Did {you/SP} have a head cold or chest cold that started during those 30 days?
English Instructions:
HAND CARD HSQ1
Target:
Both males and females 1 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Yes 1538 1538
2 No 6921 8459
7 Refused 3 8462
9 Don't know 13 8475
. Missing 947 9422

HSQ510 - SP have stomach or intestinal illness?

Variable Name:
HSQ510
SAS Label:
SP have stomach or intestinal illness?
English Text:
Did {you/SP} have a stomach or intestinal illness with vomiting or diarrhea that started during those 30 days?
English Instructions:
HAND CARD HSQ1
Target:
Both males and females 1 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Yes 627 627
2 No 7833 8460
7 Refused 3 8463
9 Don't know 12 8475
. Missing 947 9422

HSQ520 - SP have flu, pneumonia, ear infection?

Variable Name:
HSQ520
SAS Label:
SP have flu, pneumonia, ear infection?
English Text:
Did {you/SP} have flu, pneumonia, or ear infections that started during those 30 days?
English Instructions:
HAND CARD HSQ1
Target:
Both males and females 1 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Yes 339 339
2 No 8111 8450
7 Refused 3 8453
9 Don't know 22 8475
. Missing 947 9422

HSQ571 - SP donated blood in past 12 months?

Variable Name:
HSQ571
SAS Label:
SP donated blood in past 12 months?
English Text:
During the past 12 months, that is, since (DISPLAY CURRENT MONTH, DISPLAY LAST YEAR), (have you/has SP) donated blood?
Target:
Both males and females 16 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Yes 260 260
2 No 5505 5765 HSQ590
7 Refused 0 5765 HSQ590
9 Don't know 4 5769 HSQ590
. Missing 3653 9422

HSQ580 - How long ago was last blood donation?

Variable Name:
HSQ580
SAS Label:
How long ago was last blood donation?
English Text:
How long ago was {your/SP's} last blood donation?
English Instructions:
IF LESS THAN ONE MONTH, ENTER '1'. CAPI INSTRUCTION: HARD EDIT VALUES: 1-12. ENTER # OF MONTHS.
Target:
Both males and females 16 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 1 39 39
2 2 38 77
3 3 28 105
4 4 20 125
5 5 13 138
6 6 29 167
7 7 19 186
8 8 11 197
9 9 11 208
10 10 13 221
11 11 17 238
12 12 18 256
77 Refused 0 256
99 Don't know 4 260
. Missing 9162 9422

HSQ590 - Blood ever tested for HIV virus?

Variable Name:
HSQ590
SAS Label:
Blood ever tested for HIV virus?
English Text:
Except for tests {you/SP} may have had as part of blood donations, {have you/has he/has she} ever had {your/his/her} blood tested for the AIDS virus infection?
Target:
Both males and females 16 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Yes 1884 1884
2 No 3596 5480
7 Refused 2 5482
9 Don't know 286 5768
. Missing 3654 9422

HSAQUEX - Source of Health Status Data

Variable Name:
HSAQUEX
SAS Label:
Source of Health Status Data
English Text:
Source of Health Status Data
Target:
Both males and females 1 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Dietary Recall Component -- B(1-11) 2443 2443
2 MEC CAPI Questionnaire -- B(12-150) 6979 9422
. Missing 0 9422