Table of Contents

Component Description

The ACASI section on sexual behavior (variable name prefix SXQ) provides information on lifetime and current sexual behavior for both men and women. Major items in this section include age of first sexual intercourse, number of sexual partners, use of condoms, circumcision status (for men), history of sexually transmitted diseases, and sexual orientation. Youths aged 14-19 were administered a limited subset of questions asked of adults 20-59 years.

Eligible Sample

Sample persons aged 14-59 years were eligible. Several questions in this section are age and gender specific. Only data for youths aged 14-19 years are included in this release. Mentally impaired individuals, participants needing a proxy informant, or who were unable to comprehend English or Spanish were not asked these questions.

Interview Setting and Mode of Administration

These questions were administered as part of the NHANES Audio Computer Assisted Self Interview (ACASI) conducted in a private room in the MEC in either English or Spanish without the presence of an interviewer. The ACASI enabled the respondents both to hear questions through earphones and read questions on the computer and to move at their own speed as they touch the screen to indicate their response. 

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 14 YEARS - 19 YEARS

SXQ020 - Ever had sexual intercourse

Variable Name:
SXQ020
SAS Label:
Ever had sexual intercourse
English Text:
The next set of questions is about your sexual behavior. By sex, we mean vaginal, oral, or anal sex. Please remember that your answers are strictly confidential. Have you ever had sex?
English Instructions:
VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS TO SP: Please select yes, no.
Target:
Both males and females 14 YEARS - 19 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Yes 841 841
2 No 696 1537 SXQ275
7 Refused 3 1540 SXQ275
9 Don't know 0 1540 SXQ275
. Missing 143 1683

SXD030 - Age when first had sexual intercourse

Variable Name:
SXD030
SAS Label:
Age when first had sexual intercourse
English Text:
How old were you when you had sex for the first time?
English Instructions:
VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS TO SP: Please enter an age. ENTER AGE IN YEARS.
Target:
Both males and females 14 YEARS - 19 YEARS
Hard Edits:
9 to 19
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
9 to 19 Range of Values 839 839
1 Less than 10 years of age 0 839
777 Refused 1 840
999 Don't know 1 841
. Missing 842 1683

SXQ040 - #sexual intercourse partners/lifetime

Variable Name:
SXQ040
SAS Label:
#sexual intercourse partners/lifetime
English Text:
During your life, with how many people have you had sex?
English Instructions:
VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS TO SP: Please enter a number. ENTER # OF PEOPLE.
Target:
Both males and females 14 YEARS - 17 YEARS
Hard Edits:
0 to 9999
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 to 39 Range of Values 443 443
77777 Refused 0 443
99999 Don't know 0 443
. Missing 1240 1683

SXQ050 - Condom used during last intercourse

Variable Name:
SXQ050
SAS Label:
Condom used during last intercourse
English Text:
The last time you had sex, did you or your partner use a condom?
English Instructions:
VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS TO SP: Please select yes, no.
Target:
Both males and females 14 YEARS - 17 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Yes 338 338
2 No 105 443
7 Refused 0 443
9 Don't know 0 443
. Missing 1240 1683

SXQ100 - #men sex intercourse partners/life

Variable Name:
SXQ100
SAS Label:
#men sex intercourse partners/life
English Text:
In your lifetime, with how many men have you had sex?
English Instructions:
VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS TO SP: Please enter a number or enter zero for none. ENTER NUMBER.
Target:
Females only 18 YEARS - 19 YEARS
Hard Edits:
0 to 9999
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
0 to 30 Range of Values 202 202
77777 Refused 1 203
99999 Don't know 0 203
. Missing 1480 1683

SXQ120 - #men sex intercourse partners/year

Variable Name:
SXQ120
SAS Label:
#men sex intercourse partners/year
English Text:
In the past 12 months, with how many men have you had sex?
English Instructions:
VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS TO SP: Please enter a number or enter zero for none. ENTER NUMBER.
Target:
Females only 18 YEARS - 19 YEARS
Hard Edits:
0 to 9999
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
0 to 8 Range of Values 203 203
77777 Refused 0 203
99999 Don't know 0 203
. Missing 1480 1683

SXQ130 - #women sex intercourse partners/life

Variable Name:
SXQ130
SAS Label:
#women sex intercourse partners/life
English Text:
In your lifetime, with how many women have you had sex?
English Instructions:
VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS TO SP: Please enter a number or enter zero for none. ENTER NUMBER.
Target:
Females only 18 YEARS - 19 YEARS
Hard Edits:
0 to 9999
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
0 to 7 Range of Values 203 203
77777 Refused 0 203
99999 Don't know 0 203
. Missing 1480 1683

SXQ150 - #women sex intercourse partners/year

Variable Name:
SXQ150
SAS Label:
#women sex intercourse partners/year
English Text:
In the past 12 months, with how many women have you had sex?
English Instructions:
VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS TO SP: Please enter a number or enter zero for none. ENTER NUMBER.
Target:
Females only 18 YEARS - 19 YEARS
Hard Edits:
0 to 9999
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
0 to 4 Range of Values 203 203
77777 Refused 0 203
99999 Don't know 0 203
. Missing 1480 1683

SXQ170 - #women sex intercourse partners/life

Variable Name:
SXQ170
SAS Label:
#women sex intercourse partners/life
English Text:
In your lifetime, with how many women have you had sex?
English Instructions:
VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS TO SP: Please enter a number or enter zero for none. ENTER NUMBER.
Target:
Males only 18 YEARS - 19 YEARS
Hard Edits:
0 to 9999
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
0 to 100 Range of Values 191 191
77777 Refused 3 194
99999 Don't know 1 195
. Missing 1488 1683

SXQ190 - #women sex intercourse partners/year

Variable Name:
SXQ190
SAS Label:
#women sex intercourse partners/year
English Text:
In the past 12 months, with how many women have you had sex?
English Instructions:
VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS TO SP: Please enter a number or enter zero for none. ENTER NUMBER.
Target:
Males only 18 YEARS - 19 YEARS
Hard Edits:
0 to 9999
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
0 to 50 Range of Values 195 195
77777 Refused 0 195
99999 Don't know 0 195
. Missing 1488 1683

SXQ200 - #men sex intercourse partners/lifetime

Variable Name:
SXQ200
SAS Label:
#men sex intercourse partners/lifetime
English Text:
In your lifetime, with how many men have you had sex?
English Instructions:
VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS TO SP: Please enter a number or enter zero for none. ENTER NUMBER.
Target:
Males only 18 YEARS - 19 YEARS
Hard Edits:
0 to 9999
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
0 to 20 Range of Values 195 195
77777 Refused 0 195
99999 Don't know 0 195
. Missing 1488 1683

SXQ220 - #men sex intercourse partners/year

Variable Name:
SXQ220
SAS Label:
#men sex intercourse partners/year
English Text:
In the past 12 months, with how many men have you had sex?
English Instructions:
VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS TO SP: Please enter a number or enter zero for none. ENTER NUMBER.
Target:
Males only 18 YEARS - 19 YEARS
Hard Edits:
0 to 9999
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
0 to 9 Range of Values 195 195
77777 Refused 0 195
99999 Don't know 0 195
. Missing 1488 1683

SXD230 - CHECK ITEM

Variable Name:
SXD230
English Instructions:
CHECK ITEM SXD230: IF SP IS FEMALE AND HAS NEVER HAD MALE PARTNER (CODED '00' IN SXQ100), GO TO SXQ260. IF SP IS FEMALE AND TOTAL NUMBER OF PARTNERS IN SXQ.120 AND SXQ150 IS ONE OR LESS, GO TO SXQ260. IF SP IS MALE AND TOTAL NUMBER OF PARTNERS IN SXQ.190 AND SXQ220 IS ONE OR LESS, GO TO SXQ260. OTHERWISE, CONTINUE WITH SXD240.
Target:
Both males and females 18 YEARS - 19 YEARS

SXQ241 - #sexual intercourse partners/past mo

Variable Name:
SXQ241
SAS Label:
#sexual intercourse partners/past mo
English Text:
In the past 30 days, with how many people have you had sex?
English Instructions:
VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS TO SP: Please enter a number or enter zero for none. ENTER # OF PARTNERS.
Target:
Both males and females 18 YEARS - 19 YEARS
Hard Edits:
0 to 9999
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 to 13 Range of Values 145 145
0 None 31 176 SXQ260
77777 Refused 0 176 SXQ260
99999 Don't know 0 176 SXQ260
. Missing 1507 1683

SXQ250 - #times had sex without condom/past mo

Variable Name:
SXQ250
SAS Label:
#times had sex without condom/past mo
English Text:
In the past 30 days, how many times have you had sex without using a condom?
English Instructions:
VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS TO SP: Please enter a number or enter zero for none. ENTER # OF TIMES.
Target:
Both males and females 18 YEARS - 19 YEARS
Hard Edits:
0 to 9999
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
0 to 76 Range of Values 145 145
77777 Refused 0 145
99999 Don't know 0 145
. Missing 1538 1683

SXQ260 - Doctor ever told you had genital herpes

Variable Name:
SXQ260
SAS Label:
Doctor ever told you had genital herpes
English Text:
Has a doctor or other health care professional ever told you that you had genital herpes?
English Instructions:
VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS TO SP: Please select yes, no.
Target:
Both males and females 18 YEARS - 19 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Yes 3 3
2 No 395 398
7 Refused 0 398
9 Don't know 0 398
. Missing 1285 1683

SXQ265 - Doctor ever told you had genital warts

Variable Name:
SXQ265
SAS Label:
Doctor ever told you had genital warts
English Text:
Has a doctor or other health care professional ever told you that you had genital warts?
English Instructions:
VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS TO SP: Please select yes, no.
Target:
Both males and females 18 YEARS - 19 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Yes 3 3
2 No 395 398
7 Refused 0 398
9 Don't know 0 398
. Missing 1285 1683

SXQ270 - Doctor ever told you had gonorrhea

Variable Name:
SXQ270
SAS Label:
Doctor ever told you had gonorrhea
English Text:
In the past 12 months, has a doctor or other health care professional told you that you had gonorrhea, sometimes called GC or clap?
English Instructions:
VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS TO SP: Please select yes, no.
Target:
Both males and females 18 YEARS - 19 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Yes 3 3
2 No 394 397
7 Refused 0 397
9 Don't know 1 398
. Missing 1285 1683

SXQ272 - Doctor ever told you had chlamydia

Variable Name:
SXQ272
SAS Label:
Doctor ever told you had chlamydia
English Text:
In the past 12 months, has a doctor or other health care professional told you that you had chlamydia?
English Instructions:
VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS TO SP: Please select yes, no.
Target:
Both males and females 18 YEARS - 19 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Yes 11 11
2 No 387 398
7 Refused 0 398
9 Don't know 0 398
. Missing 1285 1683

SXQ275 - CHECK ITEM

Variable Name:
SXQ275
English Instructions:
CHECK ITEM SXQ275: IF SP MALE, CONTINUE WITH SXQ280. IF SP FEMALE AND 18-19 YEARS, GO TO SXQ294. OTHERWISE, GO TO END OF SECTION.
Target:
Both males and females 14 YEARS - 19 YEARS

SXQ280 - Are you circumcised or uncircumcised

Variable Name:
SXQ280
SAS Label:
Are you circumcised or uncircumcised
English Text:
Are you circumcised or uncircumcised?
English Instructions:
HAND CARD SXQ1 - CLINICAL SKETCH OF CIRCUMCISED PENIS. HAND CARD SXQ2 - CLINICAL SKETCH OF UNCIRCUMCISED PENIS. VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS TO SP: Please select circumcised, uncircumcised.
Target:
Males only 14 YEARS - 19 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Circumcised 535 535
2 Uncircumcised 240 775
7 Refused 9 784
9 Don't know 5 789
. Missing 894 1683

SXQ292 - Describe sexual orientation (male)

Variable Name:
SXQ292
SAS Label:
Describe sexual orientation (male)
English Text:
Do you think of yourself as...
English Instructions:
VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS TO SP: Heterosexual or straight (that is, sexually attracted only to women); homosexual or gay (that is, sexually attracted only to men); bisexual (that is, sexually attracted to men and women); something else; or you're not sure?
Target:
Males only 18 YEARS - 19 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 heterosexual or straight (attracted to women) 231 231
2 homosexual or gay (attracted to men) 3 234
3 bisexual (attracted to men and women) 4 238
4 Something else, or 1 239
5 Not sure? 6 245
7 Refused 0 245
9 Don't know 1 246
. Missing 1437 1683

SXQ294 - Describe sexual orientation (female)

Variable Name:
SXQ294
SAS Label:
Describe sexual orientation (female)
English Text:
Do you think of yourself as...
English Instructions:
VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS TO SP: Heterosexual or straight (that is, sexually attracted only to men); homosexual or lesbian (that is, sexually attracted only to women); bisexual (that is, sexually attracted to men and women); something else; or you're not sure?
Target:
Females only 18 YEARS - 19 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 heterosexual or straight (attracted to men) 251 251
2 homosexual or lesbian (attracted to women) 5 256
3 bisexual (attracted to men and women) 11 267
4 Something else, or 0 267
5 Not sure? 2 269
7 Refused 0 269
9 Don't know 2 271
. Missing 1412 1683