Table of Contents

Component Description

The Occupation Questionnaire (variable name prefix OCQ) section (questions OCD150 to OCQ670), which is part of the household interview, contains survey participant interview data on employment and variables relating to the work environment.

OCQ section Topics:

Eligible Sample

The OCQ was administered to a full sample of survey participants aged 16 years and older.

Interview Setting and Mode of Administration

These questions were asked, in the home, during the household interview, by trained interviewers using the Computer-Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) system. Persons 16 years of age were interviewed directly.

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. During the 2017-2018 data collection cycle, periodic QC checks were performed on the OCQ data being collected; and interviewer-specific feedback and retraining was performed as appropriate.

Data Processing and Editing

Questionnaire interview responses were entered into a tablet and then uploaded into a computerized database in the same manner as other sections of the Survey Participant Questionnaire. The data were then edited for completeness, consistency, and illogical values.

To decrease the risk of disclosure, additional “bottom” and “top” summary codes were implemented for three variables in 2017-2018:

Analytic Notes

In general, analysts are advised to review carefully the question wording in the OCQ codebook to make sure they understand question skip patterns and the definitions employed for occupation-related variables. Some OCQ questions need to be considered as an integral part of data collection for other questionnaire sections, and exam or laboratory components.

Please note that military occupations are not permissible entries for NHANES current job data because for NHANES, only the civilian, non-institutionalized population is eligible to participate in the survey. However, civilian employees of the armed forces are included in the NHANES sample and military occupations are valid entries for the survey participant’s longest job data.

Current Job Information:

The primary focus of the OCQ is data collection for the participant’s work within the previous week (i.e., the participant’s Current Job). The participant’s Current Job is defined as the main paid job worked within the last week, including work on a family farm. When an individual currently worked multiple jobs, the participant was asked to designate one main job for the interview. Data collected included:

Longest Job Information:

Related NHANES 2017-18 Data:

There are occupation-related items in the NHANES Physical Functioning Questionnaire (PFQ) (PFQ049 and PFQ051) and two questions on veteran's status/military service in the Survey Participant Demographics (DEMO) data file (DMQMILIZ and DMQADFC).

The OCQ data were collected as part of the household questionnaire and, therefore, the full sample NHANES interview weights WTINT2YR should be used for statistical analysis. However, if the OCQ data are merged with the MEC exam or laboratory data, then the NHANES examination sample weights WTMEC2YR 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 16 YEARS - 150 YEARS

OCD150 - Type of work done last week

Variable Name:
OCD150
SAS Label:
Type of work done last week
English Text:
(SP Interview Version) In this part of the survey I will ask you questions about {your/SP's} work experience. Which of the following {were you/was SP} doing last week . . . (Family Interview Version) The next questions are about {your/NON-SP HEAD'S/NON- SP SPOUSE'S} current job or business. Which of the following {were you/was} {NON-SP HEAD/NON-SP SPOUSE} doing last week . . .
Target:
Both males and females 16 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Working at a job or business, 3141 3141 OCQ180
2 With a job or business but not at work, 122 3263 OCQ210
3 Looking for work, or 271 3534 OCD390G
4 Not working at a job or business? 2625 6159 OCQ380
7 Refused 0 6159 OCD390G
9 Don't know 2 6161 OCD390G
. Missing 0 6161

OCQ180 - Hours worked last week at all jobs

Variable Name:
OCQ180
SAS Label:
Hours worked last week at all jobs
English Text:
How many hours did {you/SP} work last week at all jobs or businesses?
English Instructions:
ENTER NUMBER OF HOURS
Target:
Both males and females 16 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
6 to 78 Range of Values 3039 3039
5 1-5 Hours 49 3088
80 80 Hours or more 49 3137
77777 Refused 1 3138
99999 Don't know 3 3141
. Missing 3020 6161

OCQ210 - Usually work 35 or more hours per week

Variable Name:
OCQ210
SAS Label:
Usually work 35 or more hours per week
English Text:
{Do you/Does SP} usually work 35 hours or more per week in total at all jobs or businesses?
Target:
Both males and females 16 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Yes 367 367
2 No 645 1012
7 Refused 0 1012
9 Don't know 2 1014
. Missing 5147 6161

OCQ260 - Description of job/work situation

Variable Name:
OCQ260
SAS Label:
Description of job/work situation
English Text:
Looking at the card, which of these best describes this job or work situation?
English Instructions:
(SP Interview Version) ASK IF NOT CLEAR. HAND CARD OCQ1. (Family Interview Version) ASK IF NOT CLEAR: HAND CARD DMQ1
Target:
Both males and females 16 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 An employee of a private company, business, or individual for wages, salary, or commission. 2376 2376
2 A federal government employee 93 2469
3 A state government employee 196 2665
4 A local government employee 190 2855
5 Self-employed in own business, professional practice or farm. 346 3201
6 Working without pay in family business or farm 25 3226
77 Refused 6 3232
99 Don't know 31 3263
. Missing 2898 6161

OCD270 - Number of months working in the main job

Variable Name:
OCD270
SAS Label:
Number of months working in the main job
English Text:
About how long {have you/has SP} worked for {EMPLOYER} as a(n) {OCCUPATION}?
English Instructions:
NUMBER OF MONTHS.
Target:
Both males and females 16 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 to 468 Range of Values 3116 3116
0 Less than 1 month 98 3214
480 480 Months or more 38 3252
77777 Refused 7 3259
99999 Don't know 4 3263
. Missing 2898 6161

OCQ670 - Overall work schedule past 3 months

Variable Name:
OCQ670
SAS Label:
Overall work schedule past 3 months
English Text:
Which of the following best describes your overall work schedule (include all jobs) for the last three months?
Target:
Both males and females 16 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Traditional 9 AM to 5 PM day 1168 1168
2 Evening or nights 423 1591
3 Early mornings 483 2074
5 Variable (early mornings, days, and nights) 1185 3259
7 Refused 2 3261
9 Don't know 1 3262
. Missing 2899 6161

OCQ380 - Main reason did not work last week

Variable Name:
OCQ380
SAS Label:
Main reason did not work last week
English Text:
(SP Interview Version) What is the main reason {you/SP} did not work last week? (Family Interview Version) What is the main reason {you/NON-SP HEAD/NON-SP SPOUSE} did not work last week?
Target:
Both males and females 16 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Taking care of house or family 324 324
2 Going to school 294 618
3 Retired 1189 1807
4 Unable to work for health reasons 201 2008
5 On layoff 35 2043
6 Disabled 370 2413
7 Other 211 2624
77 Refused 1 2625
99 Don't know 0 2625
. Missing 3536 6161

OCD390G - Kind of work you have done the longest

Variable Name:
OCD390G
SAS Label:
Kind of work you have done the longest
English Text:
Thinking of all the paid jobs or businesses {you/SP} ever had, what kind of work {were you/was s/he} doing the longest? (For example, electrical engineer, stock clerk, typist, farmer.)
English Instructions:
GATE QUESTION
Target:
Both males and females 16 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Enter occupation 3739 3739
2 Same as current occupation 2015 5754 End of Section
3 Armed forces 46 5800
4 Never worked 354 6154 End of Section
7 Refused 4 6158 End of Section
9 Don't know 3 6161 End of Section
. Missing 0 6161

OCD395 - Duration of longest job (months)

Variable Name:
OCD395
SAS Label:
Duration of longest job (months)
English Text:
About how long did {you/SP} work at that job or business?
English Instructions:
NUMBER OF MONTHS.
Target:
Both males and females 16 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
6 to 588 Range of Values 3578 3578
5 0-5 Months 145 3723
600 600 Months or more 53 3776
77777 Refused 2 3778
99999 Don't know 7 3785
. Missing 2376 6161