Table of Contents

Component Description

The Alcohol Use Questionnaire (variable name prefix ALQ) focuses on lifetime and current use (past 12 months). Questions are not specific to type of alcohol used.

Eligible Sample

Participants aged 12 years and older were eligible; however, only data from participants aged 18 and over are included in this file. Mentally impaired individuals or participants who were unable to understand English or Spanish were excluded from the ALQ.

A special use data file for participants aged 12-17, ALQ_I_R, is available through the NCHS Research Data Center (RDC).

Interview Setting and Mode of Administration

The ALQ is administered at the Mobile Examination Center (MEC) during the MEC Interview. For adults 18 years and older, questions were asked by trained interviewers using the Computer-Assisted Personal Interview (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.

For details on the QA/QC process for this component, please refer to the MEC Interviewer Procedures manual on the NHANES website.

Data Processing and Editing

The data were edited for completeness, consistency, and illogical values.

Analytic Notes

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 18 YEARS - 150 YEARS

ALQ101 - Had at least 12 alcohol drinks/1 yr?

Variable Name:
ALQ101
SAS Label:
Had at least 12 alcohol drinks/1 yr?
English Text:
In any one year, {have you/has SP} had at least 12 drinks of any type of alcoholic beverage? By a drink, I mean a 12 oz. beer, a 5 oz. glass of wine, or a one and a half ounces of liquor.
Target:
Both males and females 18 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Yes 3477 3477 ALQ120Q
2 No 1728 5205
7 Refused 0 5205
9 Don't know 3 5208
. Missing 527 5735

ALQ110 - Had at least 12 alcohol drinks/lifetime?

Variable Name:
ALQ110
SAS Label:
Had at least 12 alcohol drinks/lifetime?
English Text:
In {your/SP's} entire life, {have you/has he/has she} had at least 12 drinks of any type of alcoholic beverage?
Target:
Both males and females 18 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Yes 747 747
2 No 979 1726 End of Section
7 Refused 1 1727 End of Section
9 Don't know 4 1731 End of Section
. Missing 4004 5735

ALQ120Q - How often drink alcohol over past 12 mos

Variable Name:
ALQ120Q
SAS Label:
How often drink alcohol over past 12 mos
English Text:
In the past 12 months, how often did {you/SP} drink any type of alcoholic beverage? PROBE: How many days per week, per month, or per year did {you/SP} drink?
English Instructions:
ENTER QUANTITY. ENTER '0' FOR NEVER.
Target:
Both males and females 18 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Hard Edits:
0 to 366
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
0 to 365 Range of Values 4221 4221
777 Refused 0 4221
999 Don't know 3 4224
. Missing 1511 5735

ALQ120U - # days drink alcohol per wk, mo, yr

Variable Name:
ALQ120U
SAS Label:
# days drink alcohol per wk, mo, yr
English Text:
UNIT OF MEASURE.
English Instructions:
ENTER UNIT.
Target:
Both males and females 18 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Week 1308 1308
2 Month 1003 2311
3 Year 1065 3376
7 Refused 0 3376
9 Don't know 0 3376
. Missing 2359 5735

ALQ130 - Avg # alcoholic drinks/day - past 12 mos

Variable Name:
ALQ130
SAS Label:
Avg # alcoholic drinks/day - past 12 mos
English Text:
In the past 12 months, on those days that {you/SP} drank alcoholic beverages, on the average, how many drinks did {you/he/she} have? By a drink, I mean a 12 oz. beer, a 5 oz. glass of wine, or one and a half ounces of liquor.)
English Instructions:
ENTER # OF DRINKS. IF LESS THAN 1 DRINK, ENTER '1'.
Target:
Both males and females 18 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 to 14 Range of Values 3355 3355
15 15 drinks or more 20 3375
777 Refused 0 3375
999 Don't know 4 3379
. Missing 2356 5735

ALQ141Q - # days have 4/5 drinks - past 12 mos

Variable Name:
ALQ141Q
SAS Label:
# days have 4/5 drinks - past 12 mos
English Text:
In the past 12 months, on how many days did {you/SP} have {Display number} or more drinks of any alcoholic beverage? PROBE: How many days per week, per month, or per year did {you/SP} have {DISPLAY NUMBER} or more drinks in a single day?
English Instructions:
ENTER QUANTITY. ENTER '0' FOR NONE. CAPI INSTRUCTION: IF SP = MALE, DISPLAY = 5 IF SP = FEMALE, DISPLAY = 4.
Target:
Both males and females 18 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
0 to 365 Range of Values 3365 3365
777 Refused 1 3366
999 Don't know 11 3377
. Missing 2358 5735

ALQ141U - # days per week, month, year?

Variable Name:
ALQ141U
SAS Label:
# days per week, month, year?
English Text:
UNIT OF MEASURE.
English Instructions:
ENTER UNIT.
Target:
Both males and females 18 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Week 351 351
2 Month 286 637
3 Year 703 1340
7 Refused 0 1340
9 Don't know 0 1340
. Missing 4395 5735

ALQ151 - Ever have 4/5 or more drinks every day?

Variable Name:
ALQ151
SAS Label:
Ever have 4/5 or more drinks every day?
English Text:
Was there ever a time or times in {your/SP's} life when {you/he/she} drank {DISPLAY NUMBER} or more drinks of any kind of alcoholic beverage almost every day?
English Instructions:
CAPI INSTRUCTION: IF SP = MALE, DISPLAY = 5 IF SP = FEMALE, DISPLAY = 4.
Target:
Both males and females 18 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Yes 725 725
2 No 3495 4220
7 Refused 1 4221
9 Don't know 1 4222
. Missing 1513 5735

ALQ160 - # days have 4/5 or more drinks in 2 hrs

Variable Name:
ALQ160
SAS Label:
# days have 4/5 or more drinks in 2 hrs
English Text:
During the past 30 days, how many times did {you/SP} drink {DISPLAY NUMBER} or more drinks of any kind of alcohol in about two hours?
English Instructions:
ENTER QUANTITY. ENTER '0' FOR NEVER. CAPI INSTRUCTION: IF SP = MALE, DISPLAY = 5 IF SP = FEMALE, DISPLAY = 4.
Target:
Both males and females 18 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
0 to 18 Range of Values 1331 1331
20 20 days or more 15 1346
777 Refused 0 1346
999 Don't know 6 1352
. Missing 4383 5735