Table of Contents

Component Description

This section on alcohol use (ALQYTH) focuses on lifetime and current use (past 12 months). Questions are not specific to type of alcohol used.

Eligible Sample

Sample person aged 12+ years were eligible. Only data from participants aged 12-19 years are included in this release.

Interview Setting and Mode of Administration

The Alcohol questionnaire is administered to the 12-19 year old particpants during the physical exam, at the examination center, using the Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interviewing – ACASI (self-administered) system.

Quality Assurance & Quality Control

The ACASI was conducted in either English or Spanish. The ACASI enables respondents both to hear questions through earphones and read questions on the computer screen. Respondents move at their own speed and touch the screen to indicate their response. No proxy respondents or translators were used in situations when the respondents could not self-report. The system was programmed to alert respondents of potential data entry errors or problems, When a response was entered, that had been programmed as unlikely, respondents were allowed to proceed after confirming that their entry was correct. When a response was entered, that had been programmed as an error, respondents were prohibited from continuing with the ACASI until the error was corrected.

Data Processing and Editing

This file is only available through the NCHS Research Data Center (RDC). Data for participants aged 20+ years are not included in this file.

Analytic Notes

Please refer to the Analytic Guidelines for further details on the use of sample weights and other analytic issues. The Analytic Guidelines are available on the NHANES website.

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 12 YEARS - 19 YEARS

ALQ010 - Age when first drank alcohol

Variable Name:
ALQ010
SAS Label:
Age when first drank alcohol
English Text:
English Text: The following questions ask about alcohol use. This includes beer, wine, wine coolers, and liquor such as rum, gin, vodka, or whiskey. This does not include drinking a few sips of wine for religious purposes. How old were you when you had your first drink of alcohol, other than a few sips?
English Instructions:
VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS TO SP: Please select one of the following choices.
Target:
Both males and females 12 YEARS - 19 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 I have never had a drink of alcohol, other than a few sips 995 995 End of Section
2 8 years old or younger 46 1041
3 9 or 10 years old 62 1103
4 11 or 12 years old 130 1233
5 13 or 14 years old 300 1533
6 15 or 16 years old 300 1833
7 17 years old or older 160 1993
77 Refused 14 2007
99 Don't know 11 2018
. Missing 189 2207

ALD020 - # days drank alcohol over lifetime

Variable Name:
ALD020
SAS Label:
# days drank alcohol over lifetime
English Text:
During your life, on how many days have you had at least one drink of alcohol?
English Instructions:
VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS TO SP: Please select one of the following choices.
Target:
Both males and females 12 YEARS - 19 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 0 days 0 0 End of Section
2 1 or 2 days 368 368
3 3 to 9 days 205 573
4 10 to 19 days 125 698
5 20 to 39 days 124 822
6 40 to 99 days 101 923
7 100 or more days 70 993
77 Refused 20 1013
99 Don't know 10 1023
. Missing 1184 2207

ALD030 - # days drank alcohol over past 30 days

Variable Name:
ALD030
SAS Label:
# days drank alcohol over past 30 days
English Text:
During the past 30 days, on how many days did you have at least one drink of alcohol?
English Instructions:
VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS TO SP: Please select one of the following choices.
Target:
Both males and females 12 YEARS - 19 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 0 days 514 514 End of Section
2 1 or 2 days 289 803
3 3 to 5 days 103 906
4 6 to 9 days 60 966
5 10 to 19 days 31 997
6 20 to 29 days 12 1009
7 All 30 days 3 1012
77 Refused 5 1017
99 Don't know 6 1023
. Missing 1184 2207

ALD040 - # days w/5 or more drinks/past 30 days

Variable Name:
ALD040
SAS Label:
# days w/5 or more drinks/past 30 days
English Text:
During the past 30 days, on how many days did you have 5 or more drinks of alcohol in a row, that is, within a couple of hours?
English Instructions:
VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS TO SP: Please select one of the following choices.
Target:
Both males and females 12 YEARS - 19 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 0 days 246 246
2 1 day 111 357
3 2 days 62 419
4 3 to 5 days 47 466
5 6 to 9 days 24 490
6 10 to 19 days 11 501
7 20 or more days 3 504
77 Refused 4 508
99 Don't know 1 509
. Missing 1698 2207