Table of Contents

Component Description

The Alcohol Use Questionnaire (variable name prefix ALQ) focuses on lifetime and recent use (past 30 days). Questions are not specific to type of alcohol used.

Eligible Sample

Participants aged 12-17 years only are included in this file with limited access. Mentally impaired individuals or participants who were unable to understand English or Spanish were excluded from these questions.

Interview Setting and Mode of Administration

Questions were self-administered using the Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interview (ACASI) system. The ACASI was conducted in both English and Spanish.

Quality Assurance & Quality Control

The ACASI enables participants to hear questions through headphones as well as read questions on the computer screen. Participants moved at their own speeds and touched the screen to indicate their responses. No proxy respondents or translators were used during the ACASI.

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.

Information on alcohol use is collected from all participants aged 12 years and older. Only data from participants aged 12-17 are included in this file with limited access. Data from participants aged 18 years and older is publicly released as ALQ_I and 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 - 17 YEARS

ALQ010 - Age when first drank alcohol

Variable Name:
ALQ010
SAS Label:
Age when first drank alcohol
English Text:
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 - 17 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 696 696 End of Section
2 8 years old or younger 13 709
3 9 or 10 years old 10 719
4 11 or 12 years old 26 745
5 13 or 14 years old 76 821
6 15 or 16 years old 96 917
7 17 years old or older 18 935
77 Refused 7 942
99 Don't know 8 950
. Missing 59 1009

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 - 17 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
2 1 or 2 days 119 119
3 3 to 9 days 56 175
4 10 to 19 days 26 201
5 20 to 39 days 19 220
6 40 to 99 days 10 230
7 100 or more days 7 237
77 Refused 8 245
99 Don't know 9 254
. Missing 755 1009

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 - 17 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 0 days 162 162 End of Section
2 1 or 2 days 64 226
3 3 to 5 days 16 242
4 6 to 9 days 6 248
5 10 to 19 days 3 251
6 20 to 29 days 0 251
7 All 30 days 0 251
77 Refused 3 254
99 Don't know 0 254
. Missing 755 1009

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 {'4' Female, '5' Male - DISPLAY NUMBER} or more drinks of alcohol in a row, that is, within a couple of hours?
English Instructions:
INSTRUCTIONS TO SP: Please select one of the following choices. CAPI INSTRUCTION: IF SP = MALE, DISPLAY = 5 IF SP = FEMALE, DISPLAY = 4.
Target:
Both males and females 12 YEARS - 17 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 0 days 48 48
2 1 day 20 68
3 2 days 14 82
4 3 to 5 days 4 86
5 6 to 9 days 3 89
6 10 to 19 days 1 90
7 20 or more days 0 90
77 Refused 1 91
99 Don't know 1 92
. Missing 917 1009