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Second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES II) Public-Use Data Files

Survey description
Data file description
List of Data file variables
Technical characteristics
Geographic coverage
Data availability
Ordering information
Documentation contents
Related reports
Contacts
NHANES Web Site

Survey description
The second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, NHANES II, is a nationwide probability sample of 27,801 persons from 6 months 74 years of age. From this sample, 25,286 people were interviewed and 20,322 people were examined, resulting in an overall response rate of 73 percent. Because children and persons classified as living at or below the poverty level were assumed to be at special risk of having nutritional problems, they were sampled at rates substantially higher than their proportions in the general population. Adjusted sampling weights were computed within 76 age-sex income groups in order to inflate the sample to closely reflect the target population at the midpoint of the survey.

Data file description
Data tapes from NHANES II are organized by subject matter. The data files comprising the NHANES II include a number of demographic and socioeconomic variables on each tape including age, gender, race, ethnicity, income, education, and marital status.

List of data file variables at a glance
Allergy skin testing, ages 6-74 years (Tape No. 5309)
Demographic characteristics and allergy skin testing data for all examined persons. Skin tests were given to determine the number of positive reactions to eight allergens (house dust, Alternaria, cat, dog, ragweed, oak, rye grass, and Bermuda grass), one diluent, and one histamine. For positive reactions, the type and size of the reaction were recorded.

Anthropometric data, ages 6 months-74 years
(Tape No. 5301)
Demographic characteristics. Height, weight, bitrochanteric breadth, elbow breadth, upper arm girth, triceps skinfold, subscapular skinfold, and handedness on examined sample persons. Chest circumference, head circumference, sitting height, crown-rump and recumbent length for selected subpopulations.

Audiometric air conduction test, ages 4-19 years
(Tape No. 5306)
Demographic characteristics and audiometric data. Hearing threshold levels were determined by pure tone audiometry. Included in the testing were 500 Hz, 1,000 Hz, 2,000 Hz, and 4,000 Hz for left and right ear.

Behavior questionnaire, ages 25-74 years (Tape No. 5317)
Demographic characteristics and questionnaire data on behavior and physical activity. The questionnaire was designed to elicit data on behavior possibly associated with coronary heart disease.

Chest x-ray examination, ages 25-74 years (Tape No. 5252)
Demographic characteristics, measurements of heart size, and pathology readings.

Health history supplement, ages 12-74 years
(Tape No. 5305)
Demographic characteristics, health history, and blood pressure data for persons who were both interviewed and examined. Health history items covered for persons over age 25 are cardiovascular, respiratory, and joint pain data including back disk and neck questions. Covered for persons 12 74 years are pesticide use, jaundice, chronic kidney disease, bowel problems, reproductive history, and disability data.

Hematology and biochemistry, ages 6 months-74 years (Tape No. 5411, Version 2)
Demographic characteristics and selected hematologic and biochemical blood findings. The determinations include hemoglobin, hematocrit, red blood cell count, white blood cell count, serum iron, serum albumin, serum vitamin C, serum zinc, serum copper, serum vitamin A, erythrocyte protoporphyrin lead, and carboxyhemoglobin. This version also includes determination of serum lipids, oral glucose challenge results, serum ferritin results, red blood cells folate, serum B12, differential white blood cell counts, serum creatinine, urine multistix test results, and bile acid data.

Medical history, ages 6 months-11 years (Tape No. 5010)
Demographic characteristics for 5,843 examined sample persons ages 6 months 11 years. Also included are 996 additional children who were given the medical history interview but did not participate in the examination phase of the survey. Medical history topics for this age group include health status, birth weight, infant feeding practices, congenital anomalies, hospitalization, pica, allergies, kidney and urinary problems, hearing and speech problems and treatment, respiratory conditions, and blood pressure readings for sample persons over 6 years old. Also included is information on parental height and weight and school lunch program participation.

Medical history, ages 12-74 years (Tape No. 5020)
Demographic characteristics for 14,479 examined sample persons ages 12-74 years. Also included are 3,968 additional persons who received the medical history interview but refused to participate in the examination phase of the survey. Medical history topics include health status, use of certain medications, hospitalization, tuberculosis, eating problems, previously diagnosed chronic conditions, anemia, pica, special diets, smoking, coffee and tea consumption, physical activity, weight history, and self-perception of height and weight, visual disability, diabetes, respiratory conditions, itching, appetite loss, kidney and urinary problems, allergies, hypertension, cardiovascular conditions, stroke, back and joint problems, health-related job changes, and food stamp program participation.

Model gram and nutrient composition (Tape Nos. 5702 and 5703)
The model gram tape contains 2,605 food items with food groupings, food codes, alphanumeric descriptions, preferred model codes, and gram conversion factors. The nutrient composition tape contains the actual nutrient analyses in 100-gram edible portions of all foods listed in the model gram tape. These tapes are essentially an interpretive tool used as input to a computer analysis of NHANES II 24-Hour Recall dietary data, or for use in another survey employing methodology similar to that used in NHANES II.

Physician's examination, ages 6 months 74 years (Tape No. 5302)
Demographic characteristics, physical examination including findings related to hearing, the thyroid gland, and the cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological, and musculoskeletal systems.

Total nutrient intake, food frequency, and other related dietary data, ages 6 months-74 years (Tape No. 5701)

Demographic characteristics for examined sampled persons and (1) the total amounts of calories, protein, fat, total carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, iron, sodium, potassium, vitamin A, thiamine, riboflavin, preformed niacin, vitamin C, saturated fatty acids, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and cholesterol consumed by each examined person; (2) the reported frequencies of consumption of foods from 18 food groups over a 3-month reference period; and (3) other dietary information related to food consumption habits, such as vitamin-mineral usage and special diets.

24-hour recall specific food item, ages 6 months-74 years (Tape No. 5704)
Demographic characteristics for 20,322 examined sample persons. A separate record for each food item consumed by each person with the amounts of calories, protein, fat, total carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, iron, sodium, potassium, vitamin C, saturated fatty acids, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and cholesterol contained In those foods. Also ingestion period, approximate time of consumption, and food source are given for each food item.

Data file technical characteristics
All files are fixed length, blocked files. Other data tape characteristics are listed below:

Geographic coverage
The NHANES II includes the civilian noninstitutionalized U.S. population 6 months-74 years of age.

Data availability
All data tapes available from NHANES II contain data collected over the entire course of the survey, February 1976 February 1980. A cohort study of approximately 28,000 participants was conducted in 1992. Other studies related to this survey are HHANES, NHANES I, NHANES III and NHES, Cycle 1, Cycle 2, and Cycle 3.

Ordering information
Data tapes from the HHANES can only be purchased through the National Technical Information Service (NTIS). The NTIS order numbers and prices are as follows:

Data on tape

Documentation contents
Data tape documentation includes general notes on the specific subject matter of the tape and brief statements about the use of NHANES II data, including discussion of possible sources of error, use of sampling weights, and variance estimation procedures. Detailed notes are provided to explain certain items included on the tape which are not self-explanatory or documented elsewhere.

Related reports
A detailed description of the design and operation of NHANES II is provided in Vital and Health Statistics, Series 1, No. 15. The rationale and purpose for the inclusion of each component of the survey and a description of the sampling plan are discussed in this report. The data collection instruments used are exhibited in an appendix to the report. Some reports that contain results from NHANES II are Vital and Health Statistics, Series 11, Nos. 231-238; and Advance Data, Nos. 76, 79, and 84.

This page last reviewed September 04, 2008