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NHANES I Web Tutorial

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Specifying Weighting Parameters in NHANES I

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Purpose

This module addresses why weights are created and how they are calculated, the importance of weights in making estimates that are representative of the U.S. civilian non-institutionalized population, how to select the appropriate weight to use in your analysis, and how to correctly create subsets within your analysis population.

 

Overview: Weighting in NHANES I

Weights are created in NHANES I to account for complex survey design (including oversampling), survey non-response, and post-stratification. When a sample is weighted in NHANES I it is representative of the U.S. Census civilian non-institutionalized population. A sample weight is assigned to each sample person. It is a measure of the number of people in the population represented by that sample person.    

 

Task 1: Selecting the Correct Weight

To produce estimates appropriately adjusted for survey non-response, it is important to check all of the variables in your analysis and select the weight of the smallest analysis subpopulation.

 

Task 2: Creating Appropriate Subsets of Data for NHANES I Analyses

In order to calculate the most accurate measure of the variance estimate, it is important to properly create subsets of your data to reflect the subpopulation of interest before using weights in your analyses.

 

Page Last Modified: March 25, 2008

Additional Resources

National Center for Health Statistics
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Hyattsville, MD 20782
Phone: 1-866-441-NCHS (6247)
For data inquiries, use
nchsquery@cdc.gov

 

Problems or comments about the Tutorial?
Email the Tutorial Team: NHANESWebTutorial@cdc.gov

 

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