National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

NHANES Survey Methods and Analytic Guidelines

Related Pages
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Plan and Operations

Reports on survey planning and field operations
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Sample Design

Reports on survey sample design, sample selection, sampling rates
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Estimation and Weighting

Reports on methods for calculating weights and variance estimation
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Analytic Guidelines

Reports on guidelines for analyzing NHANES data
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Response Rates and Population Totals

Survey response rates (screener, interview, and exam) and U.S. population
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Other Resources

Other resources for Analysts

Plan and Operations

Description Documentation Published
Plan and Operations of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, August 2021–August 2023 [PDF - 900 KB] May 2024
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: Plan and Operations, 1999–2010 [PDF - 451 KB] August 2013
Plan and Operation of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-94 [PDF - 20.8 MB] July 1994
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: National Youth Fitness Survey Plan, Operations, and Analysis, 2012 [PDF - 1.08 MB] April 2014

Sample Design

Description Documentation Published
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2017–March 2020 Prepandemic File: Sample Design, Estimation, and Analytic Guidelines [PDF - 1.25 MB] May 2022
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2015−2018: Sample Design and Estimation Procedures [PDF - 1.71 MB] April 2020
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: Sample Design, 2011–2014 [PDF - 2.25 MB] March 2014
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: Sample Design, 2007–2010 [PDF – 1.04 MB] August 2013
The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: Sample Design, 1999–2006 [PDF - 949 KB] May 2012

Estimation and Weighting Procedures

Description Documentation Published
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2017–March 2020 Prepandemic File: Sample Design, Estimation, and Analytic Guidelines [PDF - 1.25 MB] May 2022
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2015−2018: Sample Design and Estimation Procedures [PDF - 1.71 MB] April 2020
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: Estimation procedures, 2011–2014 [PDF - 2.82 MB] January 2018
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: Estimation Procedures, 2007-2010 [PDF - 306 KB] August 2013

Analytic Guidelines

Description Documentation Published
What We Eat in America, Dietary Data, NHANES: August 2021-August 2023 24-hour Dietary Recall Interview Mode Change [PDF - 636 KB] February 2025
Changes to Dietary Supplement and Non-Prescription Antacid Data Collection During the NHANES August 2021–August 2023 Cycle [PDF - 1.26 MB] February 2025
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Analytic Guidance and Brief Overview for the August 2021-August 2023 Data Files [HTML] September 2024
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2017–March 2020 Prepandemic File: Sample Design, Estimation, and Analytic Guidelines [PDF - 1.25 MB] May 2022
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Analytic Guidance and Brief Overview for the 2017-March 2020 Pre-pandemic Data Files [HTML] May 2021
An Investigation of Nonresponse Bias and Survey Location Variability in the 2017−2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey [PDF – 1.08 MB] December 2020
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: Analytic Guidelines, 2011-2016 [PDF – 291 KB] December 2018
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: Impact of Declining Response Rates on Nonresponse Bias, 2013 – 2016, Executive Summary [PDF – 103 KB] December 2018
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: Analytic Guidelines, 1999-2010
The Analytic Guidelines for the 1999-2010 cycles of the Continuous NHANES is an update of the NHANES III Analytic Guidelines and may be used for any NHANES 		[PDF – 734 KB] September 2013
Analytic and Reporting Guidelines: The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, NHANES III (1988-94) [PDF - 182 KB] October 1996
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: National Youth Fitness Survey Plan, Operations, and Analysis, 2012 [PDF - 1.08 MB] April 2014
Previous Versions
An Investigation of Nonresponse Bias and Sample Characteristics in the 2017−2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Summary [PDF – 104 KB] February 2020
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: Analytic Guidelines, 2011-2012 [PDF – 109 KB] September 2013
The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) Analytic and Reporting Guidelines [PDF - 47.5 KB] Updated September 2006
Analytic Note Regarding 2007-2010 Survey Design Changes and Combining Data Across other Survey Cycles [PDF – 18.5 KB] September 2011
NHANES Analytic Guidelines - June 2004 Version [PDF - 27.8 KB] June 2004
NHANES 1999-2000 Addendum to the NHANES III Analytic Guidelines [PDF - 191 KB] Updated August 2002

Other Resources for Analysts

Description Documentation
Survey Contents [PDF - 1.15 MB]
NHANES Data Release and Access Policy [PDF - 47.5 KB]
Response Rates and Population Totals
Continuous NHANES Web Tutorials
Suggested NHANES Citation for Use in Publications
Content source: CDC/National Center for Health Statistics