National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) have provided comprehensive information on the health and nutritional status of the civilian, noninstitutionalized U.S. population since the early 1970's. Prior to 1999, NHANES were conducted on a periodic basis and multiple years of data were required to produce national estimates. The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) implemented a plan for continuous, annual data collection in 1999. In addition to collecting and reporting health and nutrition information on a core set of questionnaire and health examination components, NHANES has the capability to respond promptly to new and emerging public health concerns. The continuous, annual survey design features are consistent with efforts to link Federal survey samples, and integrate the questionnaire content of these surveys to improve survey comparability and statistical reporting capabilities. One example is the partnership between NCHS and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to plan the 2001 National Food and Nutrition Survey (NFNS). The NFNS features include a core set of identical survey questions, a common, automated dietary data interview system, a unified dietary data processing system, and a common food composition database. The advantages of the NFNS include improved coverage of high risk populations, continuous nutrition monitoring and surveillance, cost savings, comparability in data release file content and format, and timely data reporting.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this presentation, the participant will be able to describe the features of the continuous NHANES and describe future plans for survey integration with other Federal survey programs
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.