Scientific Data Documentation
Allergy Skin Testing (1976-1980)
DSN: CC37.HANES2.SKINTEST
ABSTRACT
DESCRIPTION OF SURVEY
A detailed description of the design, content,questionnaires, and operation
of NHANES II is provided in the following report: Plan and Operation of the
Second Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1976-1980, DHHS Pub. No.
(PHS) 81-1317 Series 1, No. 15, Public Health Service, Superintendent of
Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. The stock
number is 017-022-00752-5 and the cost is $5.50. One copy is provided with
the documentation herein, and a general summary of the data collection
techniques and content is given in Appendix A.
DESCRIPTION OF POPULATION
NHANES II was conducted on a nationwide probability sample of approximately
28,000 persons, ages 6 months-74 years, from the civilian, noninstitutional-
ized population of the United States. The survey started in February 1976 and
was completed in February 1980. The NHANES II sample was selected so that
certain population groups thought to be at high risk of malnutrition (persons
with low incomes, preschool children and the elderly) were oversampled.
Adjusted sampling weights were then computed for 76 age, sex,and race
categories in order to inflate the sample in such a manner as to closely
reflect the estimated civilian noninstitutionalized U.S. population ages 6
months-74 years at the midpoint of the survey (March 1, 1978).
DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUES AND CONTENT
The plan developed with respect to the content of NHANES II called for the
following:
A. Questionnaires completed in the household:
(1) Household questionnaire: For each household member, questions
referred to family relationships;certain demographic items such
as age, sex, and race; selected housing information;occupation,
income, education, veteran status; and an indication of
participation in food stamp programs.
(2) Medical history questionnaires:
(a) For each sample person ages 6 months-11 years
The questionnaire included items on birth weight,
prematurity,congenital conditions, medication, neurological
conditions, lead poisoning, accidents, hospital care,
disability, diarrhea, pica, vision, and a variety of chronic
conditions. In addition, data were collected on allergies,
kidney and bladder disease, anemia, speech and hearing, lung
and chest conditions, and participation in food programs.
(b) For each sample person ages 12-74 years
The questionnaire included items on medication; hospital
care; tuberculosis; a variety of acute and chronic diseases;
tobacco usage, physical activity; weight; height; vision
disability, exposure to pesticides; gastrointestinal
problems; and for females; a menstrual and pregnancy
history. In addition, data were collected on anemia,
diabetes, respiratory condition, hearing and speech, liver
and gallbladder conditions, kidney and bladder disease,
allergies, hypertension, cardiovascular conditions, stroke,
arthritis (stressing middle and upper back and neck
problems), and participation in food programs.
Questionnaires and tests administered in the mobile examination
center:
(3) Dietary Questionnaires
(a) For each examined person, a 24-Hour Recall was administered
by trained dietary interviewers. Specific and quantitative
detail of every food or drink consumed during the previous
day was recorded and calculated, thus providing estimates of
calories, protein, carbohydrates, fat, unsaturated fats,
cholesterol, and specific vitamins and minerals consumed.
(b) For each examined person, a Food Frequency interview was
administered to ascertain usual patterns of food consumption.
Daily and/or weekly consumption of foods within 26 subgroups
were recorded. In addition, data were collected on usual
vitamin-mineral supplement usage.
(c) For each person ages 12-74 years, a Dietary Supplement form
was self-administered and reviewed. This form provided
information on special diets, recent medications and barriers
to purchasing groceries or eating foods; it does not provide
information on vitamin/mineral or other supplements to the
diet.
(4) Medication/Vitamin Usage Form provided information on the past
week's usage of any medicines; vitamins or minerals for al
examined persons.
(5) Behavior Questionnaire elicited data on behavior which may be
associated with coronary heart disease for examined persons
ages 25-74.
B. Examination by physician
A physician performed and recorded the results of a medical
examination giving special attention to specified findings
related to nutrition, to hearing, to the thyroid gland,and
to the cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological and
musculoskeletal systems.
C. Special clinical procedures and tests
A specially trained health technician carried out the
following on examined persons in the designated age ranges:
1. Spirometry trials of examined persons ages 6-24 years,
were digitized and recorded on magnetic tape. Various
pulmonary function indicators such as FVC (forced vital
capacity), FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in one second),
and peak flow rate were subsequently derived from these
data.
2. Electrocardiograms Electrocardiographic signals of
examined persons ages 25-74 years were digitized and
recorded on magnetic tape providing normative data of
amplitude, duration, interval and axis measurements and
permitting interpretations of heart disease according to
the Minnesota classification code.
3. Body Measurements were made on all examinees and included
standing height, body weight, triceps and subscapular
skinfolds, and several other anthropometric measurements.
4. Puretone audiometry Tests were carried out on examined
persons between the ages of 4 and 19 years, permitting
determination of threshold levels of hearing for
frequencies of 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hertz for right
and left ears.
5. Speech recording, involving use of tape recording of the
subject's repetition of specially developed sentences,was
carried out on examined persons between the ages of 4 and
6 years, permitting interpretations as an indication of
problems with articulation and language development.
6. Allergy tests, involving skin tests (prick test) with
eight common allergens (housedust, alternaria, cat fur,
dog fur, ragweed, oak, rye grass, and Bermuda grass).The
tests were made on examined persons between the ages of 6
and 74 years, to obtain degrees of skin reaction.
D. X-Rays
For examined persons ages 25-74 years, two x-rays were made.
No x-rays were taken of pregnant women and no lumbar x-rays
were taken on women under 50 years of age.
1. X-ray of cervical and lumbar spine, were taken to provide
evidence of osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease,
and
2. X-ray of chest, to be used in the diagnosis of respiratory
diseases and to serve as a measure of left ventricular
enlargement.
E. Urine tests
Tests as follows were performed on casual samples of urine:
1. N-Multistix tests for qualitative protein, glucose,
ketones, bilirubin, blood, urobilinogen, pH, and
bacteriuria (nitrite test) were done for examined persons
ages 6-74 years.
2. Urinary sediments, including red cells, white cells, and
casts, were measured for a subsample of examined adults
ages 20-74 years.
3. Gonorrhea cultures, of urinary sediments were performed
for male and female examined persons ages 12-40 years.
However, of those females who received the Glucose
Tolerance Test (GTT) only those ages 20-24 years had the
gonorrhea test performed.
4. Analyses for pesticide residue and metabolite levels,were
carried out on a subsample of examined persons ages 12-74
years, including measures of the body burdens from
exposure to alkyl phosphate residues and metabolites,
carbamate residues, phenolic compound residues and
malathion metabolites.
F. Tests on blood samples
Samples of blood provide a broad range of information related
to health and nutrition. The particular tests performed
varied with the specific target condition and age group as
described in the Series 1, No.15 program description (page
39).
1. Glucose tolerance test (GTT)
This test involved collection of blood specimens while in
a fasting state, as well as at one and two hours after
glucose challenge. The test was performed on a specified
subsample of examined adults to provide estimates of the
prevalence of diabetes.
2. Tests related to liver function
(a) Post-prandial liver bile acid test. This test
measures the ability of the liver to remove bile
acids from the blood following consumption of a food
preparation which induces eventual addition of bile
acids to the blood via contraction of the
gallbladder.
(b) Liver biochemistries performed include bilirubin,
SGOT, and alkaline phosphatase tests.
3. Anemia-related laboratory tests
The tests made to characterize anemia consisted of
protoporphyrin,iron,total iron binding capacity (TIBC),
zinc, copper, red cell folates, serum folates, serum
ferritin, B12, and the determination of abnormal
hemoglobin.
4. Other nutritional biochemistries
These tests include albumin,Vitamin A and Vitamin C.
5. Serum lipids
Because of their important relevance to cardiovascular
disease, determinations were made of cholesterol,
triglycerides, and high density lipoprotein (HDL).
6. Biochemistries for body burden from environmental
exposures
Determinations were made of body burden levels of lead
and pesticide residues and metabolites.Tests were also
performed for carboxyhemoglobin which reflects
environmental exposure to carbon monoxide and the
individual's smoking habits.
7. Hematology
The hematology included determinations of hemoglobin,
hematocrit,red blood cell count,white blood cell count
and differential leukocyte analysis, and red blood cell
morphology and hemoglobin phenotyping.
8. Kidney function
The only quantitative test for kidney function performed
on blood samples was the serum creatinine test.
9. Syphilis
The serology determinations for syphilis included
qualitative and quantitative ART, a FTA-ABS and MHA-TP.
USE OF NHANES DATA
NCHS requests the cooperation of recipients of data tapes in certain actions
related to their use:
1. Any publication based on the data should acknowledge the National
Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) as the original source.It should
include a disclaimer which credits the authors for any analyses,
interpretations, or conclusions, and not NCHS, which is responsible
only for the data.
2. Consumers who wish to publish a technical description of the data
should make a reasonable effort to ensure that the description is not
inconsistent with that published by NCHS.This does not mean, however,
that NCHS will review such descriptions.
3. The National Center for Health Statistics would appreciate receiving
reprints of journal articles or other publications based upon find-
ings from the NHANES II survey. Please forward copies to:
Division of Health Examination Statistics
National Center for Health Statistics
Center Building, Room 2-58,
3700 East-West Highway
Hyattsville, Maryland 20782
EDITING OF THE DATA SETS
The data users' tapes have been subjected to a great deal of careful editing.
Some of the continuous data items have extremely high or low values and it
has been verified that they do in fact appear that way on the original inter-
view documents; that is, it has been verified that the values have not been
incorrectly keyed.Within each data tape numerous consistency checks have been
performed. However, due to the large volume of data collected in the survey,
it is likely that a small number of errors or discrepancies remain undetected.
The Division of Health Examination Statistics, NCHS would appreciate if any
such errors are detected that they be brought to our attention so that errata
sheets can be issued to previous purchasers and corrections made if new data
tapes are created.
USE OF SAMPLE WEIGHTS
NHANES II uses a multistage sample designed to represent the civilian
noninstitutionalized population of the United States,6 months-74 years of age.
Since the sample is not a simple random one, it is necessary to incorporate
the person's sample weight for proper analysis of the data.The sample weight
is a composite of the individual selection probability, adjustments for
nonresponese, and poststratification adjustments.
NHANES II provides information on 20,322 interviewed and examined individuals.
In addition to the general examination components, several more detailed
examinations were performed on subsamples of the population. Therefore,
instead of there being one sample weight per person,there are several sample
weights for each person. If a person was not selected for a particular
subsample, their associated subsample weight is zero. When analyzing the
special subsamples, the analyst must be careful to select the appropriate
sampling weight from the weights found in tape locations 282-317. For a more
complete description of how the sample weights are calculated, see the
detailed note section of this documentation.
SAMPLE DESIGN, VARIANCE ESTIMATION, AND HYPOTHESIS TESTING
The data collected in the Second National Health and Nutrition Examination
Survey (NHANES II) were obtained through a complex sample design involving
both clustering and stratification.Because of the complex design and the
ratio adjustments applied to the sample weights (see previous section on use
of sample weights), the direct application of standard statistical analysis
methods for variance estimation and hypothesis testing may be very misleading.
The modification of statistical analysis procedures to incorporate the
effects of complex survey designs is an important area of research;however,
the current methodologies appropriate for the analysis of data from such
surveys have not been made readily available in the standard packaged
statistical software.
There are computer programs available which do provide the capability of
variance estimation for complex sample designs. The balanced repeated
replication approach 1/ is utilized in &REPERR-&PSALMS-OSIRIS.IV 2/ to
calculate the variance-covariance matrix.SESUDAAN, SURREGR 3/ and SUPERCARP
4/ are programs that calculate the variance-covariance matrix using the
linearization approach 5/ (Taylor series expansion).
In order to provide the user with the capability of estimating the complex
sample variances in the NHANES II data using the above procedures, we have
provided Strata and Pseudo Primary Sampling Unit (PSU) codes on all data
tapes in positions 324-326. These variables and the sample weights are
necessary for the calculation of variances.
Even though the overall number of examined persons in this survey is quite
large for statistical inference purposes, subclass analyses can lead to
estimaters that are unstable, particularly estimates of variances.
Consequently, analyses of subclasses require that the user pay particular
attention to the coefficient of variation for the estimates of means,
proportions and totals.In addition, small sample sizes, or a small number
of PSU's used in the variance calculations may produce unstable estimates
of the variances using the above computer programs.
An NCHS Series 2 publication discussing these issues is in publication.6/
REFERENCES
1. National Center for Health Statistics: Replication an Approach to the
Analysis of Data from Complex Surveys by P.J. McCarthy. Vital and Health
Statistics Series 2-No. 14. DHEW Pub. No.(PHS) 79-1269. Public Health
Service. Washington, D.C. U.S. Government Printing Office, 1966.
2. Survey Research Center Computer Support Group, OSIRIS IV User's Manual,
Institute for Social Research, 1979.
3. Holt, M.M.: SURREGR: Standard errors of regression coefficients from
sample survey data. (unpublished) Research Triangle Institute, NC, 1977.
4. Hidiruglou, M.A.,Fuller,W.A.,Hickman, R.D.:(SUPERCARP) Survey Section,
Statistical Laboratory,Iowa State University. Ames, Iowa. Sixth Edition.
October 1980.
5. Woodruff, R.S.: A simple method for approximating the variance of a
complicated estimate. JASA 66:411-414, 1971.
6. National Center for Health Statistics: A General Statistical Methodology
for the Analysis of Data from a Complex Survey: NHANES I by J.R. Landis,
J.H. Lepkowski, S.A. Stehouwer, and S.A. Eklund. Vital and Health
Statistics, Series 2. (In publication)
GENERAL NOTES, DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION, NHANES II
An advance letter, announcing the forthcoming arrival of an interviewer from
the U.S.Bureau of the Census,was mailed to each household that fell into the
NHANES II probability sample. The interviewer subsequently visited the
household to ascertain its composition and to administer a questionnaire,the
primary purpose of which was to obtain demographic information. The
questionnaire was administered to each potential sample person in each
household that was available and competent enough to respond to questions.In
the event that a potential sample person was not at home at the time of
interview, any responsible adult in the household was asked to respond to
the questions for the absent person.
DEMOGRAPHIC DATA SUMMARY - NHANES II
Tape Positions 1-33
Tape Positions
Sample Sequence Number 1- 5
Catalog Number (5371-for Demographic Data only) 6- 9
Data user work area 10
Size of place 11
SMSA-not SMSA 12
Data user work area 13-23
Type of living quarters 24
Land usage 25
If rural, asked does this place have 10 acres or more? 26
If 10 acres or more, asked if in the last 12 months did sales
of farm produce and livestock amount to $50 or more? 27
If 10 acres or more, asked to $250 or more? 28
Data user work area 29
Total number of persons in household 30-31
Total number of sample persons in household 32-33
Tape Positions 34-90
Sample Person Data
Data user work area 34
Family relationship 35
Data user work area 36
Family unit number 37-41
Data user work area 42-44
Age-months (at interview) 45-46
Age-years (at interview) 47-48
Data user work area 49-50
Date of birth-month 51-52
Date of birth-year 53-54
Sex 55
Race 56
In what state was he/she born? 57-58
Is he/she married, widowed, divorced, separated or
never married? 59
Natural origin or ancestry 60-61
Education level 62-63
Grade completed 64
What was he/she doing during most of the past 12 months? 65
What was he/she doing? 66
Did he/she work at a job or business at any time during the
past three months? 67
Did he/she work full or part-time when working? 68
Was he/she working within last two weeks not counting work
around the house? 69
Even though he/she did not work, does he/she have a job or
business? 70
Was he/she looking for work or on layoff from a job? 71
Which, looking for work or on layoff from a job? 72
What kind of industry or business is this? 73- 75
What kind of work was he/she doing? 76- 78
Was he/she in private company or business or individual for
wages, salary or commission? 79
Did he/she ever serve in the armed forces of the U.S.? 80
When did he/she serve? 81
Data user work area 82- 90
Tape Positions 91-246
Household Data
How many rooms are in this...? Count the kitchen, but not the bath 91
How many bedrooms are in this...? 92
Ask only of unrelated household members. Do you have complete
kitchen facilities in your living quarters, that is a kitchen
sink with piped water, a refrigerator and a range or cookstove? 93
Do you have access to complete kitchen facilities in this
house? 94
Do you have access to a range or cookstove? 95
Do you have access to a refrigerator? 96
Do you have access to a sink with piped water? 97
Is there piped water in this house (these living quarters)? 98
Is there both hot and cold water? 99
Are these kitchen facilities used by anyone not living in
this household? 100
What is the main type of heating system you have? 101-102
Do you have air conditioning? 103
How many motor vehicles are owned or regularly used for
transportation by members of your family? 104
Is any language other than English spoken by family members
living here? 105
What language? 106
Which of these income groups represents your total combined
family income for the past 12 months? 107-108
During the past 12 months, how much money did you and
all members of your family receive in wages or salaries
before deductions (under $7,000 only)? 109-112
Social security or railroad retirement? 113
Data user work area 114
If yes, how much? 115-118
Welfare payments or other public assistance? 119
Data user work area 120
If yes, how much? 121-124
Unemployment compensation or workmen's compensation? 125
Data user work area 126
If yes, how much? 127-130
Government employee pension or private pensions? 131
Data user work area 132
If yes, how much? 133-136
Dividends, interest or rent? 137
Data user work area 138
If yes, how much? 139-142
Net income from their own business (nonfarm)
professional practice, or partnership? 143
Data user work area 144
If yes, how much? 145-148
Net income from a farm? 149
Data user work area 150
If yes, how much? 151-154
Veteran's payments? 155
Data user work area 156
If yes, how much? 157-160
Alimony, child support or other support from persons not
in household? 161
Data user work area 162
If yes, how much? 163-166
Any other income? 167
Data user work area 168
If yes, how much? 169-172
Total amount 173-176
Check Item B 177
Are you certified to participate in the food stamp program? 178
Are you buying food stamps now? 179
What is the main reason you are not participating in the
program? 180
Are you certified for commodity distribution program? 181
Are you receiving commodity foods now for your family? 182
Why aren't you participating in the program? 183
Date of exam 184-189
Age in years (at examination) 190-191
Data user work area 192-205
Race-sex recode for sample persons 206
Farm, nonfarm recode for sample person 207
Interview status 208
Region 209
Poverty index 210-212
Data user work area 213-246
Tape Positions 247-281
Head of Household Data
Age in years 247-248
Data user work area 249-250
Date of birth-month 251-252
Date of birth-year 253-254
Sex 255
Race 256
In what state was he/she born? 257-258
Is he/she married, widowed, divorced, separated or
never married? 259
Natural origin or ancestry? 260-261
Education level 262-263
Grade completed 264
What was he/she doing during most of the past 12 months? 265
What was he/she doing? 266
Did he/she work at a job or business at any time during the
past three months? 267
Did he/she work full or part-time when working? 268
Was he/she working within last two weeks not counting work
around the house? 269
Even though he/she did not work, does he/she have a job or
business? 270
Was he/she looking for work or on layoff from a job? 271
Which?, looking for work or on layoff from a job? 272
Type of industry or business 273-275
What kind of work was he/she doing? 276-278
Was he/she in private company or business or individual for
wages, salary or commission? 279
Did he/she ever serve in the armed forces of the U.S.? 280
When did he/she serve? 281
Tape Positions 282-350
Sample Weights
Examined final weight 282-287
Medical history interview final weight 288-293
Glucose Tolerance Test final examined weight 294-299
Lead final examined weight 300-305
Carboxyhemoglobin final examined weight 306-311
Bile acids final examined weight 312-317
Data user work area 318-323
Strata code 324-325
Pseudo PSU code 326
Poverty, Nonpoverty segments 327
(Not coded on Intake, Recall, Anthro and Glucose tapes)
Data user work area 328-350
USE OF SPECIAL TERMS, DEMOGRAPHIC DATA, NHANES II
The term "data user work area" refers to blank areas in the data tape which
are reserved for the user as needed.
The term "blank, but applicable",is used to indicate a data item that was to
have a response for a sample person but none was given. The terms "blank" and
"Not applicable"refer to data items where the sample person was not supposed
to respond to the question or receive the examination component.
To more fully understand the questionnaire skip patterns and the
categorizations used,see the Plan and Operation of the Second National Health
and Nutrition Examination Survey document included with this documentation.
All the questionnaires are included in this document.
RECORD LAYOUT, DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
Tape Locations 1-50
NATIONAL HEALTH AND NUTRITION EXAMINATION SURVEY - NHANES II
DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
TAPE NHANES II DATA SOURCE
LOC. ITEM DESCRIPTION & CODES OR NOTES
001- Sample Sequence Number
005 00001-27796
006- Catalog Number
009 5371
010 Data User Work Area
011 Size of Place See Detailed Notes
1 - Urbanized area with 3,000,000 or
more
2 - Urbanized area 1,000,000 to
2,999,999
3 - Urbanized area with 250,000 to
999,999
4 - Urbanized area under 250,000
5 - Urban place 25,000 or more outside
urbanized area
6 - Urban place 10,000-24,999 outside
urbanized area
7 - Urban place 2,500 to 9,999 outside
urbanized area
8 - Rural
012 SMSA-Not SMSA See Detailed Notes
1 - In SMSA, in central city
2 - In SMSA, not in central city
4 - Not in SMSA
013- Data User Work Area
023
024 Type of living quarters
1 - Housing unit
2 - Other unit
025 Land Usage
1 - Urban
2 - Rural
026 If rural, asked does this place have
10 acres or more?
1 - Yes
2 - No
9 - Not Applicable
027 If 10 acres or more, asked if in the
last 12 months did sales of farm produce
and livestock amount to $50 or more?
1 - Yes
2 - No
9 - Not Applicable
028 If less than 10 acres, asked if in the
last 12 months did sales or farm produce
and livestock amount to $250 or more?
1 - Yes
2 - No
9 - Not Applicable
029 Data User Work Area
030- Total Number Of Persons In Household
031
01 - 15 - As given
032- Total Number Of Sample Persons In
033 Household
01 - 06 - As Given
Sample Person Data
034 Data User Work Area
035 Family Relationship
1 - Head one person living alone or
with non-relatives
2 - Head 2 or more related persons in
family
3 - Wife
4 - Child
5 - Other relative
6 - Foster child
7 - Husband
036 Examination Status
1 - Examined
037- Family Unit Code See Detailed Notes
041
00001-21050 - As Given
042- Data User Work Area
044
045- Age-Months At Interview
046
06-11 Months
Blank, if greater than 11 months
047- Age-Years At Interview
048
01 - 74 Years
00, If less than 12 months
049- Data User Work Area
050
Tape Locations 51-100
TAPE NHANES II DATA SOURCE
LOC. ITEM DESCRIPTION & CODES OR NOTES
051- Date-Of-Birth-Month
052
01 - 12 Month
053- Date-Of-Birth-Year
054
01 - 79 Year
055 Sex
1 - Male
2 - Female
056 Race See Detailed Notes
1 - White
2 - Black
3 - Other
057- In what state was he/she born? See Detailed Notes
058
01 - 97
88 - Blank, but applicable
059 Is he/she married, widowed, divorced,
separated, or never married?
1 - Under 17
2 - Married
3 - Widowed
4 - Divorced
5 - Separated
6 - Never married
8 - Blank, but applicable
060- Natural Origin or Ancestry
061
01 - Countries of Central or South
America
02 - Chicano
03 - Cuban
04 - Mexican
05 - Mexicano
06 - Mexican-American
07 - Puerto Rican
08 - Other Spanish
09 - Other European, such as German,
French, English, Irish
10 - Black, Negro or Afro-American
11 - American Indian or Alaskan Native
12 - Asian or Pacific Islander Such as
Chinese, Japanese, Korean,
Philippino, Samoan
13 - Another Group Not Listed
88 - Blank, but applicable
062- Highest Grade Of School Attended
063
00 - None (regardless of age)
21 - 28 - Elementary Grades (1-8)
31 - 34 - High School (1-4)
41 - 45 - College (1-5+)
88 - Blank, but applicable
064 Grade Completed
1 - Yes
2 - No
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
065 What was he/she doing during most of
the past 12 months?
1 - Working
2 - Keeping house
3 - Something else
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
066 What was he/she doing?
1 - Layoff
2 - Retired
3 - Student
4 - Ill
5 - Staying home
6 - Looking for work
7 - Unable to work
8 - Blank, but applicable
0 - Other
Blank
067 Did he/she work at a job or business at
any time during the past three months?
1 - Yes
2 - No
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
068 Did he/she work full or part-time when
working?
1 - Full time
2 - Part time
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
069 Was he/she working within last two
weeks not counting work around the
house?
1 - Yes
2 - No
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
070 Even though he/she did not work does
he/she have a job or business?
1 - Yes
2 - No
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
071 Was he/she looking for work or on
layoff from a job?
1 - Yes
2 - No
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
072 Which looking for work or on layoff
from a job?
1 - Looking
2 - Layoff
3 - Both
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
073- What kind of industry or business is See Detailed Notes
075 this?
017 - 998 (last digit 7, 8, 9)
000 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
076- What kind of work was he/she doing? See Detailed Notes
078
001 - 992 - Occupation (last digit
0-6)
000 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
079 Was he/she in private company or
business or working for individual for
wages, salary or commission?
1 - Private
2 - A Federal government employee
3 - A State government employee
4 - A local government employee
5 - Incorporated-Own
6 - Self-employed (or farm)
7 - Working without pay in family
business or farm
8 - Never worked
0 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
080 Did he/she ever serve in the armed
forces of the U.S.?
1 - Yes
2 - No
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
081 When did he/she serve?
1 - Vietnam
2 - Korean War
3 - World War II
4 - World War I
5 - Post Vietnam
6 - Other Service
8 - Blank, but applicable
9 - Do not know
Blank
082- Data User Work Area
090
Household Data
091 How many rooms are in this..? Count
the kitchen, but not the bath.
1 - 8 Rooms
9 - 9 Or More Rooms
092 How many bedrooms are in this - ?
0 - 7 Bedrooms - More than 7 bedrooms
coded as 7
093 Ask only of unrelated household members.
Do you have complete kitchen facilities
in your living quarters, that is a
kitchen sink with piped water, a
refrigerator and a range or cookstove?
1 - Yes
2 - No
Blank
094 Do you have access to complete kitchen
facilities in this house?
1 - Yes
2 - No
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
095 Do you have access to a range or
cookstove?
1 - Yes
2 - No
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
096 Do you have access to a refrigerator?
1 - Yes
2 - No
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
097 Do you have access to a sink with
piped water?
1 - Yes
2 - No
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
098 Is there piped water in this house
(these living quarters)?
1 - Yes
2 - No
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
099 Is there both hot and cold water?
1 - Yes
2 - No
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
100 Are these kitchen facilities used by
anyone not living in this household?
1 - Yes
2 - No
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
Tape Locations 101-150
TAPE NHANES II DATA SOURCE
LOC. ITEM DESCRIPTION & CODES OR NOTES
101- What is the main type of heating system
102 you have?
11 - Steam or hot water system
12 - Central warm air furnace with
ducts to individual rooms or
central heat pump (forced air)
13 - Built in electric units
(permanently installed in wall,
ceiling or baseboard
14 - Floor, wall or pipeless furnace
15 - Circulating, radiant or room
heaters, with flue or vent,
burning gas, oil, or kerosene
16 - Circulating, radiant, or room
heaters (not portable) without
flue or vent burning gas, oil or
kerosene
17 - Fireplace or stoves burning coal,
wood or coke
18 - Portable room heaters of any kind
19 - Some other type
20 - None, unit is not heated
88 - Blank, but applicable
103 Do you have air conditioning?
1 - Yes, individual room unit
2 - Yes, central air conditioning
3 - No
8 - Blank, but applicable
104 How many motor vehicles are owned or
regularly used for transportation by
members of your family?
0 - None
1 - 8 Vehicles (more than 8 coded as 8)
9 - Blank, but applicable
105 Is any language other than English
spoken by family members living here?
1 - Yes
2 - No
8 - Blank, but applicable
106 What language?
0 - German
1 - Italian
2 - French
3 - Polish
4 - Russian
5 - Spanish
6 - Chinese
7 - Other language
8 - Blank, but applicable
9 - Not applicable
107- Which of these income groups represents See Detailed Notes
108 your total combined family income for
the past 12 months?
11 - Under $1,000
12 - $1,000-1,999
13 - $2,000-2,999
14 - $3,000-3,999
15 - $4,000-4,999
16 - $5,000-5,999
17 - $6,000-6,999
18 - $7,000-9,999
19 - $10,000-14,999
20 - $15,000-19,999
21 - $20,000-24,999
22 - $25,000 and over
88 - Blank, but applicable
109- During the past 12 months, how much
112 money did you and all members of your
family receive in wages or salaries
before deductions?
0000 - 6999 Amount
8888 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
113 Social security or railroad
retirement?
1 - Yes
2 - No
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
114 Data User Work Area
115- If yes, how much?
118
0038 - 6828 Amount
8888 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
119 Welfare payments or other public
assistance?
1 - Yes
2 - No
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
120 Data User Work Area
121- If yes, how much?
124
0012 - 6800 Amount
8888 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
125 Unemployment Compensation or Workman's
Compensation
1 - Yes
2 - No
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
126 Data User Work Area
127- If yes, how much?
130
0015 - 5640 Amount
8888 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
131 Government Employee Pension or Private
Pensions?
1 - Yes
2 - No
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
132 Data User Work Area
133- If yes, how much?
136
0036 - 6000 Amount
8888 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
137 Dividends, Interest or Rent?
1 - Yes
2 - No
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
138 Data User Work Area
139- If yes, how much?
142
0001 - 5200 Amount
8888 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
143 Net income from their own business
(nonfarm) professional practice, or
partnership?
1 - Yes
2 - No
3 - Loss
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
144 Data User Work Area
145- If yes, how much?
148
0001 - 6800 Amount
8888 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
149 Net income from a farm?
1 - Yes
2 - No
3 - Loss
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
150 Data User Work Area
Tape Locations 151-205
TAPE NHANES II DATA SOURCE
LOC. ITEM DESCRIPTION & CODES OR NOTES
151- If yes, how much?
154
0000 - 6500 Amount
8888 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
155 Veterans payments?
1 - Yes
2 - No
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
156 Data User Work Area
157- If yes, how much?
160
0060 - 6000 Amount
8888 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
161 Alimony, child support or other support
from persons not in household?
1 - Yes
2 - No
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
162 Data User Work Area
163- If yes, how much?
166
0020 - 6900 Amount
8888 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
167 Any other income?
1 - Yes
2 - No
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
168 Data User Work Area
169- If yes, how much?
172
0003 - 6403 Amount
8888 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
173- Total Amount Q 21 & 22
176
0000 - 6999 Amount
8888 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
177 Check Item B
2 - Food stamps available
4 - Both - Food Stamps and
commodities
178 Are you certified to participate in
the food stamp program?
1 - Yes
2 - No
8 - Blank, but applicable
Don't know
179 Are you buying food stamps now?
1 - Yes, Regularly
2 - Yes, Occasionally
3 - No
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
180 What is the main reason you are not
participating in the program?
1 - No need
2 - Not enough money at the time
3 - No transportation
4 - Pride
5 - Other
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
181 Are you certified for commodity
distribution program?
1 - Yes
2 - No
9 - Do not know
Blank
182 Are you receiving commodity foods now
for your family?
1 - Yes, regularly
2 - Yes, occasionally
3 - No
Blank
183 Why aren't you participating in the
program?
1 - No need
2 - No transportation
3 - Pride
4 - Other
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
184- Date of Exam Month Control Record
185
01 - 12
186- Date of Exam Day Control Record
187
00 - 31
188- Date of Exam Year Control Record
189
76 - 80
190- Age Years At Examination
191
01 - 75 Years
00 - If less than 12 months or non-
examined
192- Data User Work Area
205
Tape Locations 206-250
TAPE NHANES II DATA SOURCE
LOC. ITEM DESCRIPTION & CODES OR NOTES
206 Race Sex Recode For Sample Person See Detailed Notes
1 - Male, White
2 - Male, Black
3 - Male, Other
4 - Female, White
5 - Female, Black
6 - Female, Other
207 Farm, Non-Farm Recode For Sample Person See Detailed Notes
1 - Farm
2 - Non-Farm
208 Interview Status
1 - Interviewed
209 Region See Detailed Noted
1 - Northeast
2 - Midwest
3 - South
4 - West
210- Poverty Index (x.xx) See Detailed Notes
212
001 - 880 - As Given
999 - Unknown
213- Data User Work Area
246
Head of Household Data
247- Age Years
248
15 - 99 Years (more than 100 coded
as 99)
249- Data User Work Area
250
Tape Locations 251-305
TAPE NHANES II DATA SOURCE
LOC. ITEM DESCRIPTION & CODES OR NOTES
251- Date-Of-Birth-Month
252
01 - 12 Month
88 - Blank, but applicable
253- Date-Of-Birth-Year
254
00 - 99 Year
255 Sex
1 - Male
2 - Female
256 Race See Detailed Notes
1 - White
2 - Black
3 - Other
257- In what state was he/she born? See Detailed Notes
258
01 - 97
88 - Blank, but applicable
259 Is he/she married, widowed, divorced,
separated, or never married?
1 - Under 17
2 - Married
3 - Widowed
4 - Divorced
5 - Separated
6 - Never married
8 - Blank, but applicable
260- Natural Origin or Ancestry?
261
01 - Countries of Central or South
America
02 - Chicano
03 - Cuban
04 - Mexican
05 - Mexicano
06 - Mexican-American
07 - Puerto Rican
08 - Other Spanish
09 - Other European, such as German,
French, English, Irish
10 - Black, Negro or Afro-American
11 - American Indian or Alaskan Native
12 - Asian or Pacific Islander Such as
Chinese, Japanese, Korean,
Philippino, Samoan
13 - Another Group Not Listed
88 - Blank, but applicable
262- Highest Grade Attended
263
00 - None (regardless of age)
21 - 28 - Elementary Grades (1-8)
31 - 34 - High School (1-4)
41 - 45 - College (1-5+)
88 - Blank, but applicable
264 Grade Completed
1 - Yes
2 - No
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
265 What was he/she doing during most of
the past 12 months?
1 - Working
2 - Keeping house
3 - Something else
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
266 What was he/she doing?
1 - Layoff
2 - Retired
3 - Student
4 - Ill
5 - Staying home
6 - Looking for work
7 - Unable to work
8 - Blank, but applicable
0 - Other
Blank
267 Did he/she work at job or business
during past three months?
1 - Yes
2 - No
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
268 Did he/she work full or part-time when
working?
1 - Full time
2 - Part time
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
269 Did he/she work at any time the last
two weeks not counting work around
the house?
1 - Yes
2 - No
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
270 Even though he/she did not work, does
he/she have a job or business?
1 - Yes
2 - No
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
271 Was he/she looking for work or on
layoff from a job?
1 - Yes
2 - No
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
272 Which, looking for work or on layoff
from a job?
1 - Looking
2 - Layoff
3 - Both
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
273- Type of industry or business? See Detailed Notes
275
017 - 998 (last digit 7, 8, 9)
000 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
276- What kind of work was he/she doing? See Detailed Notes
278
001 - 992 - Occupation (last digit
0-6)
000 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
279 Was he/she in private company or
business or working for individual for
wages, salary or commission?
1 - Private
2 - A Federal government employee
3 - A State government employee
4 - A local government employee
5 - Incorporated-Own
6 - Self-employed (or farm)
7 - Working without pay in family
business or farm
8 - Never worked
0 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
280 Did he/she ever serve in the armed
forces of the U.S.?
1 - Yes
2 - No
8 - Blank, but applicable
Blank
281 When did he/she serve?
1 - Vietnam
2 - Korean War
3 - World War II
4 - World War I
5 - Post Vietnam
6 - Other Service
8 - Blank, but applicable
9 - Do not know
Blank
SEE DETAILED NOTES FOR POSITIONS
282-326
282- Examined Final Weight
287
001218 - 079634
288- Medical History Interview Final Weight
293
001171 - 071969
294- Glucose Tolerance Test Final Examined
299 Weight
003502 - 084477
000000
300- Lead Final Examined Weight
305
001218 - 084115
000000
Tape Locations 306-350
TAPE NHANES II DATA SOURCE
LOC. ITEM DESCRIPTION & CODES OR NOTES
306- Carboxyhemoglobin Final Examined Weight
311
002546 - 110759
000000
312- Bile Acids Final Examined Weight
317
003519 - 087638
000000
318- Data User Work Area
323
324- STRATA
325
01 - 32
326 PSEUDO Primary Sampling Unit
1 OR 2
328 Poverty/Non-Poverty Segments
1-Non-Poverty
2-Poverty
328- Data User Work Area
350
DETAILED NOTES, DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
Size of Place
Size of place classification was derived from the 1970 census. According to
the definition used in the 1970 census, the urban population was comprised of
all persons living in (a) places of 2,500 inhabitants or more incorporated as
cities, boroughs (except Alaska),villages and towns (except towns in New York,
New England States,and Wisconsin),but excluding those persons living in the
rural portions of extended cities; (b) unincorporated places of 2,500
inhabitants or more; and (c) other territories included in urbanized areas.
the remaining population was classified as rural.
Urban areas are further classified by population size for places within
urbanized areas and other places outside urbanized areas.
SMSA
Except in New England,a standard metropolitan statistical area is basically a
county or a group of contiguous counties which contains at least one city of
50,000 inhabitants or more, or "twin cities" with a combined population of at
least 50,000. In addition to the county or counties containing such a city or
cities, contiguous counties are included in an SMSA if, according to the 1970
census, they are socially and economically integrated with the central city.
Each SMSA must include at least one central city,and the complete title of an
SMSA identifies the central city or cities. In New England, SMSA's consist of
towns and cities, rather than counties.
Family Unit Code
All related sample persons in the same family unit have the same computer
generated family unit code. This will enable analysis of individual family
units.
Race
The race of the respondent was marked by observation and the interviewers
were instructed to assume the race of all related persons was the same as the
respondent unless otherwise learned.The race categories were "White","Black"
or "Other". If the appropriate category could not be marked by observation,
then race was asked. Interviewers were instructed to record persons who
responded with something other than White or Black,such as Japanese,Chinese,
American Indian, Korean, Hindu, Eskimo, etc., as "Other"; and to include
Mexicans,Puert Ricans and other persons of Latin American descent in "White",
unless definitely Black, American Indian, or of other non-white race.
Tape Positions 57-58 and 257-258
United States
Name of Place Code
Alabama 01
Alaska 02
Arizona 04
Arkansas 05
California 06
Colorado 08
Connecticut 09
Delaware 10
District of Columbia 11
Florida 12
Georgia 13
Hawaii 15
Idaho 16
Illinois 17
Indiana 18
Iowa 19
Kansas 20
Kentucky 21
Louisiana 22
Maine 23
Maryland 24
Massachusetts 25
Michigan 26
Minnesota 27
Mississippi 28
Missouri 29
Montana 30
Nebraska 31
Nevada 32
New Hampshire 33
New Jersey 34
New Mexico 35
New York 36
North Carolina 37
North Dakota 38
Ohio 39
Oklahoma 40
Oregon 41
Pennsylvania 42
Rhode Island 44
South Carolina 45
South Dakota 46
Tennessee 47
Texas 48
Utah 49
Vermont 50
Virginia 51
Washington 53
West Virginia 54
Wisconsin 55
Wyoming 56
Outlying Areas of the United States
Name of Place Code Description
American Samoa 60 U.S. territory in the Pacific
Canal Zone 61 Territory in Panama leased by U.S.
Canton and Enderbury Islands 62 Under common US-UK administration
Guam 66 U.S. territory in the Pacific
Johnston Atoll U.S. territory in the Pacific,
includes Sand Island
Midway Islands 71 U.S. territory in the Pacific
Puerto Rico 72 Commonwealth associated with the
U.S.
Swan Islands 74 U.S. territory in the Caribbean
Trust Territories of the Pacific 75 U.S. administered, includes
Islands Caroline, Mariana, and Marshall
Island Groups
U.S. Miscellaneous Caribbean 76 Includes Navassa Islands, Quito
Islands Sueno Bank, Roncador Cay,
Serrana Bank, Serranilla Bank
U.S. Miscellaneous Pacific 77 Includes Kingman Reef, Howland,
Islands Baker and Jarvis Islands,
Palmyra Atoll
Virgin Islands 78 U.S. territory in the Caribbean
Wake Island 79 U.S. territory in the Pacific
Foreign Countries
North America 91
South America 92
Europe 93
Africa 94
Asia 95
Australasia 96
Pacific Islands 97
Industry and Occupation Codes
A person's occupation may be defined as his principal job or business. For
this survey purpose, the principal job or business of a respondent is defined
in one of the following ways: If the person worked during the two-week
interview period or had a job or business, the question concerning his
occupation (or work) applies to his job during that period.If the respondent
held more than one job, the question is directed to the one at which he spent
the most time. It refers to the one he considers most important when equal
time is spent at each job. A person who has not begun work at a new job, is
looking for work, or is on layoff from work is questioned about his last
full-time civilian job.A full-time job is defined as one at which the person
spent 35 or more hours per week and which lasted two consecutive weeks or
more. A person who has a job to which he has not yet reported and has never
had a previous job or business is classified as a "new worker".
The 1970 census of population Alphabetical Index of Industries and Occupa-
tion was used in the coding of both the industry and occupation. Library of
Congress Number 74-612012. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents,U.S.
Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. $3.00. Stock Number
0301-2283.
Family Income Group
The respondent was handed a card with 12 income ranges listed as Group A to
Group L and asked "Which of these income groups represents your total com-
bined family income for the past 12 months,that is,yours, your ...'s, etc?
include income from all sources such as wages,salaries,social security or
retirement benefits, help from relatives, rent from property and so forth."
If the respondent answered Group A through G,that is with an income less than
$7,000,then questions 21 and 22 detailing exact sources and amounts of income
were asked; otherwise, these questions were skipped.
No effort was made to reconcile amounts reported in detailed questions 21 and
22 with the categorical response to the family income group question. During
the survey time period, no adjustments to the income groups or $7,000 value
were made to account for inflation.
Land
Land used for farming purposes (Code 1 in Tape Position 207) was identified
as being rural land (Code 2 in Tape Position 25) consisting of 10 or more
acres (Code 1 in Tape Position 26) with crop sales amounting to $50 or more
(Code 1 in Tape Position 27), or rural land (Code 2 in Tape Position 25)
consisting of less than 10 acres(Code 2 in Tape Position 26)with crop sales
amounting to $250 or more (Code 1 in Tape Position 28).All other land is
classified as nonfarm (Code 2 in Tape Position 207).
Region
The United States was divided into four broad geographic regions of
approximately equal population. Those regions, which deviate somewhat from
the groups used by the Bureau of Census, are as follows:
Region States Included
Northeast Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire,
Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode
Island, New York, New Jersey, and
Pennsylvania
South Delaware, Maryland, District of
Columbia, West Virginia, Virginia,
Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Georgia, Florida,
Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and
Arkansas
Midwest Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan,
Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri
West Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada,
New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma,
Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South
Dakota, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Montana,
Wyoming, Alaska, Hawaii
Poverty Index
Income status was determined by the Poverty Income Ratio (PIR). Poverty
statistics published in the Census Bureau reports 1-5 were based on the
poverty index developed by the Social Security Administration (SSA) in 1964.
(For a detailed discussion of the SSA poverty standards, see reference 6.)
Modifications in the definition of poverty were adopted in 1969.7 The stand-
ard data series in poverty for statistical use by all executive departments
and establishments has been established.8
The two components of the PIR are the total income of the household (numera-
tors the median of the income group for incomes $7,000 and above; the sum of
the porponent parts of the income questions for incomes under $7,000) and a
multiple of the total income necessary to maintain a family with given
characteristics on a nutritionally adequate food plan3 (denominator). The
dollar value of the denominator of the PIR is constructed from a food plan
(economy plan) necessary to maintain minimum recommended daily nutritional
requirements.The economy plan is designated by the Department of Agriculture
for "emergency or temporary use when funds are low."
For families of three or more persons,the poverty level was set at three
times the cost of the economy food plan.For smaller families and persons
living alone,the cost of the economy food plan was adjusted by the relatively
higher fixed expenses of these smaller households.
The denominator or poverty income cutoff adjusts the family poverty income
maintenance requirements by the family size, the sex of the family head, the
age of the family head in families with one or two members, and the place of
residence (farm, nonfarm).Annual revisions of the poverty income cutoffs are
based on the changes in the average cost of living as reflected in the
Consumer Price Index.
As shown in the tables, the annual income considered to be the poverty level
increases as the family size increases. A family with any combination of
characteristics and with the same income as shown in the table has been
designated as having a PIR or poverty level of 1.0. The same family with
twice the income found in the table would have a PIR of 2.0. Ratios of less
than 1.0 can be described as "below poverty",ratios greater than or equal to
1.0, as "at or above poverty".
Poverty thresholds are computed on a national basis only. No attempt has been
made to adjust these thresholds for regional,state,or other variations in the
cost of living (except for the farm, nonfarm difference).None of the noncash
public welfare benefits such as food stamp bonuses are included in the income
of the low income families receiving these benefits.PIR has been adjusted by
year (see tables) and accounts in some part for inflation.
1 U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, Series P-60, No.
107, "Money Income and Poverty Status of Families and Persons in the
United States: 1976" (Advance Report) U.S. Government Printing Office,
Washington, D.C., 1977.
2 U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, Series P-60, No.
116, "Money Income and Poverty Status of Families and Persons in the
United States: 1977" (Advance Report) U.S. Government Printing Office,
Washington, D.C., 1978.
3 U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, Series P-60, No.
120, "Money Income and Poverty Status of Families and Persons in the
United States: 1978" (Advance Report), U.S. Government Printing Office,
Washington, D.C., 1979.
4 U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, Series P-60, No.
125, "Money Income and Poverty Status of Families and Persons in the
United States: 1979" (Advance Report), U.S. Government Printing Office,
Washington, D.C., 1980.
5 U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, Series P-60, No.
127, "MoneyIncome and Poverty Status of Families and Persons in the
United States: 1980"(Advance Data from the March 1981 Current Population
Survey), U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1981.
6 Orshansky, M.: "Counting the Poor: Another Look at the Poverty Profile",
Social Security Bulletin, January 1965; "Who's Who Among the Poor: A
demographic View of Poverty", Social Security Bulletin, July 1965.
7 U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, Series P-23,
No. 28 "Special Studies", U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington,
D.C., August 12, 1969.
8 Circular No. A-46,Transmitted Memorandum No. 9,Executive Office of the
President, Bureau of the Budget, August 29, 1969, and Exhibit L (rev.).
Table 15
Weighted Average Thresholds-Poverty Cutoffs in 1976, By Size of
Family and Sex of Head, By Farm-Nonfarm Residence
NONFARM
SIZE OF FAMILY UNIT Total Total Male Head Female Head
(Dollars) (Dollars) (Dollars) (Dollars)
1 Person (Unrelated
Individual). . . . . . . . . 2 877 2 884 3 016 2 788
14 to 64 Years . . . . . . . 2 954 2 959 3 069 2 840
65 Years And Over. . . . . . 2 720 2 730 2 758 2 722
2 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . 3 688 3 711 3 721 3 660
Head 14 to 64 Years. . . . . 3 806 3 826 3 846 3 733
Head 65 Years and Over . . . 3 417 3 445 3 447 3 428
3 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . 4 515 4 540 4 565 4 414
4 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . 5 786 5 815 5 818 5 790
5 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . 6 838 6 876 6 884 6 799
6 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . 7 706 7 760 7 766 7 709
7 Persons Or More. . . . . . . 9 505 9 588 9 622 9 375
FARM
SIZE OF FAMILY UNIT Total Male Head Female Head
(Dollars) (Dollars) (Dollars)
1 Person (Unrelated Individual). . . . . 2 438 2 532 2 348
14 to 64 Years . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 542 2 608 2 413
65 Years And Over. . . . . . . . . . . 2 322 2 344 2 313
2 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 128 3 133 3 033
Head 14 to 64 Years. . . . . . . . . . 3 267 3 271 3 159
Head 65 Years and Over . . . . . . . . 2 928 2 928 2 922
3 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 858 3 864 3 734
4 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 950 4 953 4 840
5 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 870 5 871 5 847
6 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 585 6 584 6 607
7 Persons Or More. . . . . . . . . . . . 8 072 8 068 8 428
Table 15
Weighted Average Thresholds-Poverty Cutoffs in 1977, By Size of
Family and Sex of Head, By Farm-Nonfarm Residence
NONFARM
SIZE OF FAMILY UNIT Total Total Male Head Female Head
(Dollars) (Dollars) (Dollars) (Dollars)
1 Person (Unrelated
Individual). . . . . . . . . 3 067 3 075 3 214 2 969
14 to 64 Years . . . . . . . 3 147 3 152 3 267 3 023
65 Years And Over. . . . . . 2 895 2 906 2 936 2 898
2 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . 3 928 3 951 3 961 3 907
Head 14 to 64 Years. . . . . 4 054 4 072 4 095 3 981
Head 65 Years and Over . . . 3 637 3 666 3 670 3 646
3 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . 4 806 4 833 4 860 4 708
4 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . 6 157 6 191 6 195 6 162
5 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . 7 279 7 320 7 329 7 238
6 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . 8 208 8 261 8 268 8 197
7 Persons Or More. . . . . . . 10 137 10 216 10 249 9 995
FARM
SIZE OF FAMILY UNIT Total Male Head Female Head
(Dollars) (Dollars) (Dollars)
1 Person (Unrelated Individual). . . . . 2 588 2 672 2 498
14 to 64 Years . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 709 2 776 2 569
65 Years And Over. . . . . . . . . . . 2 475 2 495 2 563
2 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 318 3 325 3 176
Head 14 to 64 Years. . . . . . . . . . 3 466 3 474 3 278
Head 65 Years and Over . . . . . . . . 3 128 3 131 3 079
3 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 093 4 110 3 893
4 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 273 5 274 5 213
5 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 247 6 247 6 237
6 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 026 7 026 7 040
7 Persons Or More. . . . . . . . . . . . 8 708 8 706 8 738
Table A-3
Weighted Average Thresholds at the Poverty Level in 1978, By Size
of Family and Sex of Head, By Farm-Nonfarm Residence
NONFARM
SIZE OF FAMILY UNIT Male Female
Total Total Head1 Head1
1 Person (Unrelated
Individual). . . . . . . . . $3,302 $3,311 $3,460 $3,196
14 to 64 Years . . . . . . . 3,386 3,392 3,516 3,253
65 Years And Over. . . . . . 3,116 3,127 3,159 3,118
2 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . 4,225 4,249 4,258 4,206
Head 14 to 64 Years. . . . . 4,363 4,383 4,407 4,286
Head 65 Years and Over . . . 3,917 3,944 3,948 3,923
3 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . 5,178 5,201 5,231 5,065
4 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . 6,628 6,662 6,665 6,632
5 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . 7,833 7,880 7,888 7,806
6 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . 8,825 8,891 8,895 8,852
7 Persons Or More. . . . . . . 10,926 11,002 11,038 10,765
FARM
SIZE OF FAMILY UNIT Male Female
Total Head1 Head1
1 Person (Unrelated Individual). . . . . $2,795 $2,898 $2,690
14 to 64 Years . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,913 2,987 2,764
65 Years And Over. . . . . . . . . . . 2,661 2,685 2,650
2 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,578 3,582 3,497
Head 14 to 64 Years. . . . . . . . . . 3,731 3,737 3,614
Head 65 Years and Over . . . . . . . . 3,352 3,354 3,313
3 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,413 4,430 4,216
4 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,681 5,683 5,622
5 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,714 6,714 6,700
6 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,541 7,543 7,462
7 Persons Or More. . . . . . . . . . . . 9,373 9,386 8,813
1 For one person (i.e., unrelated individual), sex of the individual.
Table 17
Weighted Average Thresholds-Poverty Cutoffs in 1979, By Size and
Type of Family, By Farm-Nonfarm Residence
NONFARM
Families With
SIZE OF FAMILY UNIT Total Total Female HHLDR,
No Husband1 All Other
Present Families2
(Dollars) (Dollars) (Dollars) (Dollars)
1 Person (Unrelated
Individual). . . . . . . . . 3 683 3 689 3 556 3 855
14 to 64 Years . . . . . . . 3 773 3 778 3 619 3 912
65 Years And Over. . . . . . 3 472 3 479 3 469 3 515
2 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . 4 702 4 725 4 669 4 737
Head 14 to 64 Years. . . . . 4 858 4 878 4 762 4 905
Head 65 Years and Over . . . 4 364 4 390 4 362 4 394
3 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . 5 763 5 784 5 624 5 820
4 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . 7 386 7 412 7 381 7 416
5 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . 8 736 8 775 8 690 8 785
6 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . 9 849 9 914 9 843 9 922
7 Persons Or More. . . . . . . 12 212 12 280 12 037 12 322
FARM
Families With
Female HHLDR,
No Husband All Other
SIZE OF FAMILY UNIT Total Present1 Families2
(Dollars) (Dollars) (Dollars)
1 Person (Unrelated Individual). . . . . 3 138 3 001 3 236
14 to 64 Years . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 254 3 076 3 324
65 Years And Over. . . . . . . . . . . 2 963 2 948 2 988
2 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 987 3 917 3 991
Head 14 to 64 Years. . . . . . . . . . 4 156 4 027 4 163
Head 65 Years and Over . . . . . . . . 3 730 3 686 3 732
3 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 917 4 680 4 928
4 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 329 6 261 6 332
5 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 492 7 509 7 492
6 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 424 8 309 8 428
7 Persons Or More. . . . . . . . . . . . 10 533 10 178 10 547
1 Includes female unrelated individuals.
2 Includes male unrelated individuals.
Table 17
Weighted Average Thresholds-Poverty Cutoffs in 1980, By Size and
Type of Family, By Farm-Nonfarm Residence
NONFARM
Families With
SIZE OF FAMILY UNIT Total Total Female HHLDR,
No Husband1 All Other
Present Families2
(Dollars) (Dollars) (Dollars) (Dollars)
1 Person (Unrelated
Individual). . . . . . . . . 4 184 4 190 4 037 4 379
14 to 64 Years . . . . . . . 4 286 4 290 4 109 4 441
65 Years And Over. . . . . . 3 941 3 949 3 938 3 990
2 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . 5 338 5 363 5 316 5 373
Head 14 to 64 Years. . . . . 5 518 5 537 5 415 5 568
Head 65 Years and Over . . . 4 954 4 983 4 946 4 988
3 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . 6 539 6 565 6 388 6 605
4 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . 8 385 8 414 8 382 8 418
5 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . 9 923 9 966 9 878 9 976
6 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . 11 215 11 269 11 227 11 274
7 Persons Or More. . . . . . . 13 883 13 955 13 767 13 986
FARM
Families With
Female HHLDR,
No Husband All Other
SIZE OF FAMILY UNIT Total Present1 Families2
(Dollars) (Dollars) (Dollars)
1 Person (Unrelated Individual). . . . . 3 539 3 392 3 680
14 to 64 Years . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 693 3 492 3 773
65 Years And Over. . . . . . . . . . . 3 359 3 347 3 392
2 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 502 4 302 4 513
Head 14 to 64 Years. . . . . . . . . . 4 714 4 497 4 721
Head 65 Years and Over . . . . . . . . 4 233 4 185 4 237
3 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 573 5 271 5 587
4 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 170 7 152 7 170
5 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 472 8 373 8 474
6 Persons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 613 9 168 9 625
7 Persons Or More. . . . . . . . . . . . 11 915 12 133 11 389
1 Includes female unrelated individuals.
2 Includes male unrelated individuals.
Tape Positions 282-323
A multistage estimation procedure was used to calculate the various NHANES
II subsample sample weights that are necessary to use in any analysis of the
data.The procedure has three basic components:(1) inflation by reciprocals
of the probabilities of selection, (2) adjustment for nonresponse, and (3)
poststratification ratio adjustment by age-sex-race. A brief description
of each component is as follows:
Inflation by reciprocals of the sampling probabilities.Since the survey
utilized a three-stage sample design, there were three probabilities of
selection: (1) the probability of selecting the PSU,(2) the probability
of selecting a segment (housing unit),and (3) the probability of select-
ing a sample person.
Adjustment for nonresponse. Estimates from the NHANES II data were
adjusted to account for sample persons who were not examined. The
estimates were inflated by a multiplication factor calculated within five
selected income groups, three age groups, four regions, and standard
metropolitan statistical area (SMSA) or non-SMSA. The numerator of these
factors was the sum of the weights for sample persons resulting from the
reciprocal of the probability of selection, and the denominator was the
sum of the weights for examined persons also resulting from the
reciprocals of the sampling probabilities.
Poststratification by age-sex-race. The estimates were ratio adjusted within
each of 76 age-sex-race cells to an independent estimate,provided by the U.S.
Bureau of the Census, of the population of each cell as of March 1, 1978,
(approximate mid-point of the survey). The ratio adjustment was a
multiplication factor of which the numerator was the U.S.population and the
denominator was the sum of the weights adjusted for nonresponse for examined
persons. This ratio estimation process makes the sample more closely
representative of the civilian, noninstitutionalized population of the U.S.
Potential bias of nonresponse.Usually a sizeable number of sample persons who
initially are willing to complete the household information and some of the
medical history questionnaire subsequently will not participate in the
examination.This creates the potential for bias if these persons differ from
other sample persons with respect to the variables being studied. Intense
efforts were undertaken during NHANES II to develop and implement standard
procedures and inducements that would reduce the number of nonrespondents
and thereby reduce the potential for bias.
The user needs to be aware of and should explore the potential bias for
nonresponse in any analysis of the NHANES II data.
DATA SET DESCRIPTION
This data tape contains demographic and allergy skin testing data for
all examined persons 6 through 74 years of age. Skin tests were given
to determine the number of positive reactions to eight allergens, one
diluent and one histamine. For positive reactions, the type and size of
the reaction were recorded.
ALLERGY SKIN TESTING DATA COLLECTION
Allergy skin testing was conducted at the time of the medical
examination. Skin tests were given to sample persons ages 6 through 74
years who consented - see Appendix B for details. The examiner was
instructed to record the length and width of the wheal and of the flare
at 10 minutes (first reading) and 20 minutes (second reading) after
innoculation with the allergen. The "wheal" is distinguished as a
raised area in the middle of the reaction and the "flare" is the reddish
area, or erythema, around the wheal. Sometimes there can be a wheal
without a flare and vise versa. Skin tests were conducted under
standardized conditions with care for the stability of the allergens
throughout the four-year survey period.
Tape users are referred to a NCHS publication which examined reactivity
found in this study and problems associated with the data collection for
further details--Series 11-No. 235 Percutaneous Immediate Hypersensi-
tivity to Eight Selected Allergens in the Civilian Noninstitutionalized
Population Ages 6-74 Years, United States, 1976-80.8 Another NCHS
publication describes the complete operational protocol including a copy
of the allergy skin testing recording form used during the survey.9
DATA EDITING
Preliminary editing of the allergy testing forms was done by the Bureau
of Biologics, Food and Drug Administration, which then delivered the
data to NCHS on punched cards. NCHS personnel verified and corrected,
to the extent possible, problematic data and did further edits for
consistency, completeness, and accuracy of the data against microfilm
records of the original questionnaire where needed.
ALLERGY SKIN TESTING DATA SUMMARY
Catalog Number.................................................. 401-404
Dummy Records Flag.............................................. 405
Unused positions................................................ 406-408
Examiner Number................................................. 409-410
Allergen Manufacturer........................................... 411
Unused positions................................................ 412-413
Allergens
House Dust................................................. 414-439
Alternaria................................................. 440-465
Cat........................................................ 466-491
Dog........................................................ 492-517
Ragweed.................................................... 518-543
Oak........................................................ 544-569
Rye Grass.................................................. 570-595
Bermuda Grass.............................................. 596-621
Control (Diluent)............................................... 622-647
Histamine....................................................... 648-673
Unused position................................................. 674
Valid Test Codes but Missing Measurement Data
Allergens
House Dust................................................. 675-676
Alternaria................................................. 677-678
Cat........................................................ 679-680
Dog........................................................ 681-682
Ragweed.................................................... 683-684
Oak........................................................ 685-686
Rye Grass.................................................. 687-688
Bermuda Grass.............................................. 689-690
Diluent.................................................... 691-692
Histamine.................................................. 693-694
RECORD LAYOUT, ALLERGY SKIN TESTING DATA
Tape Positions 401-450
ALLERGY TESTING DATA
AGES 6-74 YEARS
TAPE CONTROL NHANES-II DATA
POSITIONS ITEM DESCRIPTION AND CODES COUNTS SOURCE OR NOTES
401-404 CATALOG NUMBER: 5309 16,204 Allergy Testing
Ages 6-74 years
405 Dummy Records Flag (See Detailed Note)
1 - Yes 193
2 - No 16,011
406-408 Unused Positions
409-410 Examiner Number (See Detailed Note)
1-79 15,887
88 - Blank, but applicable 316
91 1
411 Nelco versus Greer Antigen (See Detailed Note)
1 Nelco-Dual Use Stands 2,964
2 Greer-Dual Use Stands 3,024
3 Nelco-Single Use Stands 9,032
4 Greer-Single use Stands 1,184
412-413 Unused Positions
House Dust-First Reading
414-415 Wheal Length (mm)
00 14,284
01-15 1,244
88 - Blank, but applicable 676
416-417 Wheal Width (mm)
00 14,284
01-12 1,244
88 - Blank, but applicable 676
418 Confluent
1 - Yes 75
2 - No 15,405
8 - Blank, but applicable 724
419-420 Flare Length (mm)
00 14,252
01-76 1,259
88 - Blank, but applicable 693
421-422 Flare Width (mm)
00 14,251
01-60 1,251
88 - Blank, but applicable 702
423-424 Minutes
4-8 Minutes 9
10 Minutes 15,536
13-14 Minutes 2
88 - Blank, but applicable 657
419-420 Flare Length (mm)
00 14,252
01-76 1,259
88 - Blank, but applicable 693
421-422 Flare Width (mm)
00 14,251
01-60 1,251
88 - Blank, but applicable 702
423-424 Minutes
4-8 Minutes 9
10 Minutes 15,536
13-14 Minutes 2
88 - Blank, but applicable 657
425-426 Test Results (See Detailed Note)
10-20 15,964
88 - Blank, but applicable 240
House Dust-Second Reading
427-428 Wheal Length (mm)
00 14,063
01-15 1,432
88 - Blank, but applicable 709
429-430 Wheal Width (mm)
00 14,063
01-14 1,432
88 - Blank, but applicable 709
431 Confluent
1 - Yes 64
2 - No 15,342
8 - Blank, but applicable 798
432-433 Flare Length (mm)
00 13,999
01-62 1,473
88 - Blank, but applicable 732
434-435 Flare Width (mm)
00 13,999
01-55 1,468
88 - Blank, but applicable 737
436-437 Minutes
13 Minutes 1
20 Minutes 15,520
30 Minutes 2
88 - Blank, but applicable 681
438-439 Test Results (See Detailed Note)
10-20 15,946
88 - Blank, but applicable 258
Alternaria-First Reading
440-441 Wheal Length (mm)
00 14,983
01-27 565
88 - Blank, but applicable 656
442-443 Wheal Width (mm)
00 14,983
01-15 545
88 - Blank, but applicable 656
444 Confluent
1 - Yes 37
2 - No 15,481
8 - Blank, but applicable 686
445-446 Flare Length (mm)
00 14,977
01-56 562
88 - Blank, but applicable 665
447-448 Flare Width (mm)
00 14,977
01-53 562
88 - Blank, but applicable 665
449-450 Minutes
4-8 Minutes 4
10 Minutes 15,547
13 Minutes 2
88 - Blank, but applicable 651
Tape Positions 451-500
TAPE CONTROL NHANES-II DATA
POSITIONS ITEM DESCRIPTION AND CODES COUNTS SOURCE OR NOTES
451-452 Test Results (See Detailed Note)
10-20 15,961
88 - Blank, but applicable 243
Alternaria-Second Reading
453-454 Wheal Length (mm)
00 14,854
01-20 685
88 - Blank, but applicable 665
455-456 Wheal Width (mm)
00 14,854
01-15 685
88 - Blank, but applicable 665
457 Confluent
1 - Yes 41
2 - No 15,429
8 - Blank, but applicable 734
458-459 Flare Length (mm)
00 14,838
01-60 684
88 - Blank, but applicable 682
460-461 Flare Width (mm)
00 14,838
01-55 682
88 - Blank, but applicable 684
462-463 Minutes
15 Minutes 1
20 Minutes 15,544
30 Minutes 1
88 - Blank, but applicable 658
464-465 Test Results (See Detailed Note)
10-20 15,960
88 - Blank, but applicable 244
Cat-First Reading
466-467 Wheal Length (mm)
00 15,000
01-15 487
88 - Blank, but applicable 717
468-469 Wheal Width (mm)
00 15,000
01-20 487
88 - Blank, but applicable 717
470 Confluent
1 - Yes 32
2 - No 15,428
8 - Blank, but applicable 744
471-472 Flare Length (mm)
00 15,025
01-65 441
88 - Blank, but applicable 738
473-474 Flare Width (mm)
00 15,024
01-52 441
88 - Blank, but applicable 739
475-476 Minutes
4-8 Minutes 6
10 Minutes 15,484
13 Minutes 1
88 - Blank, but applicable 713
477-478 Test Results (See Detailed Note)
10-20 15,954
88 - Blank, but applicable 250
Cat-Second Reading
479-480 Wheal Length (mm)
00 14,887
01-15 578
88 - Blank, but applicable 739
481-482 Wheal Width (mm)
00 14,887
01-12 578
88 - Blank, but applicable 739
483 Confluent
1 - Yes 32
2 - No 15,389
8 - Blank, but applicable 783
484-485 Flare Length (mm)
00 14,886
01-55 561
88 - Blank, but applicable 757
486-487 Flare Width (mm)
00 14,885
01-41 560
88 - Blank, but applicable 759
488-489 Minutes
20 Minutes 15,477
30 Minutes 1
88 - Blank, but applicable 726
490-491 Test Results (See Detailed Note)
10-20 15,946
88 - Blank, but applicable 258
Dog-First Reading
492-493 Wheal Length (mm)
00 14,987
01-15 502
88 - Blank, but applicable 715
494-495 Wheal Width (mm)
00 14,987
01-15 502
88 - Blank, but applicable 715
496 Confluent
1 - Yes 37
2 - No 15,421
8 - Blank, but applicable 746
497-498 Flare Length (mm)
00 15,006
01-40 455
88 - Blank, but applicable 743
499-500 Flare Width (mm)
00 15,006
01-42 453
88 - Blank, but applicable 745
Tape Positions 501-550
TAPE CONTROL NHANES-II DATA
POSITIONS ITEM DESCRIPTION AND CODES COUNTS SOURCE OR NOTES
501-502 Minutes
4-8 Minutes 6
10 Minutes 15,488
13 Minutes 1
88 - Blank, but applicable 709
503-504 Test Results (See Detailed Note)
10-20 15,949
88 - Blank, but applicable 255
Dog-Second Reading
505-506 Wheal Length (mm)
00 14,858
01-15 597
88 - Blank, but applicable 749
507-508 Wheal Width (mm)
00 14,858
01-15 596
88 - Blank, but applicable 750
509 Confluent
1 - Yes 39
2 - No 15,359
8 - Blank, but applicable 806
510-511 Flare Length (mm)
00 14,860
01-40 576
88 - Blank, but applicable 768
512-513 Flare Width (mm)
00 14,860
01-40 575
88 - Blank, but applicable 769
514-515 Minutes
20 Minutes 15,471
30 Minutes 1
88 - Blank, but applicable 732
516-517 Test Results (See Detailed Note)
10-20 15,931
88 - Blank, but applicable 273
Ragweed-First Reading
518-519 Wheal Length (mm)
00 13,843
01-31 1,644
88 - Blank, but applicable 717
520-521 Wheal Width (mm)
00 13,843
01-23 1,644
88 - Blank, but applicable 717
522 Confluent
1 - Yes 125
2 - No 15,276
8 - Blank, but applicable 803
523-524 Flare Length (mm)
00 13,830
01-74 1,612
88 - Blank, but applicable 762
525-526 Flare Width (mm)
00 13,830
01-66 1,600
88 - Blank, but applicable 774
527-528 Minutes
4-8 Minutes 11
10 Minutes 15,487
13-14 Minutes 2
88 - Blank, but applicable 704
529-530 Test Results (See Detailed Note)
10-20 15,958
88 - Blank, but applicable 246
Ragweed-Second Reading
531-532 Wheal Length (mm)
00 13,506
01-30 1,926
88 - Blank, but applicable 772
533-534 Wheal Width (mm)
00 13,506
01-30 1,925
88 - Blank, but applicable 773
535 Confluent
1 - Yes 153
2 - No 15,078
8 - Blank, but applicable 973
536-537 Flare Length (mm)
00 13,501
01-72 1,898
88 - Blank, but applicable 803
99 - Greater than 100 mm 2
538-539 Flare Width (mm)
00 13,501
01-70 1,877
88 - Blank, but applicable 826
540-541 Minutes
20 Minutes 15,453
30 Minutes 2
88 - Blank, but applicable 749
542-543 Test Results (See Detailed Note)
10-20 15,919
88 - Blank, but applicable 285
Oak-First Reading
544-545 Wheal Length (mm)
00 14,615
01-22 919
88 - Blank, but applicable 670
546-547 Wheal Width (mm)
00 14,615
01-20 919
88 - Blank, but applicable 670
548 Confluent
1 - Yes 110
2 - No 15,383
8 - Blank, but applicable 711
549-550 Flare Length (mm)
00 14,620
01-59 884
88 - Blank, but applicable 700
Tape Positions 551-600
TAPE CONTROL NHANES-II DATA
POSITIONS ITEM DESCRIPTION AND CODES COUNTS SOURCE OR NOTES
551-552 Flare Width (mm)
00 14,619
01-65 883
88 - Blank, but applicable 702
553-554 Minutes
4-8 Minutes 7
10 Minutes 15,540
13-15 Minutes 2
88 - Blank, but applicable 655
555-556 Test Results (See Detailed Note)
10-20 15,956
88 - Blank, but applicable 248
Oak-Second Reading
557-558 Wheal Length (mm)
00 14,448
01-22 1,036
88 - Blank, but applicable 720
559-560 Wheal Width (mm)
00 14,448
01-23 1,036
88 - Blank, but applicable 720
561 Confluent
1 - Yes 136
2 - No 15,273
8 - Blank, but applicable 795
562-563 Flare Length (mm)
00 14,416
01-78 1,052
88 - Blank, but applicable 736
564-565 Flare Width (mm)
00 14,416
01-64 1,049
88 - Blank, but applicable 739
566-567 Minutes
15 Minutes 1
20 Minutes 15,511
30-35 Minutes 2
88 - Blank, but applicable 690
568-569 Test Results (See Detailed Note)
10-20 15,928
88 - Blank, but applicable 276
Rye Grass-First Reading
570-571 Wheal Length (mm)
00 14,056
01-35 1,461
88 - Blank, but applicable 687
572-573 Wheal Width (mm)
00 14,056
01-34 1,458
88 - Blank, but applicable 690
574 Confluent
1 - Yes 201
2 - No 15,248
8 - Blank, but applicable 755
575-576 Flare Length (mm)
00 14,098
01-74 1,393
88 - Blank, but applicable 713
577-578 Flare Width (mm)
00 14,098
01-66 1,362
88 - Blank, but applicable 744
579-580 Minutes
4-8 Minutes 8
10 Minutes 15,527
12-13 Minutes 2
88 - Blank, but applicable 667
581-582 Test Results (See Detailed Note)
10-20 15,945
88 - Blank, but applicable 259
Rye Grass-Second Reading
583-584 Wheal Length (mm)
00 13,739
01-35 1,736
88 - Blank, but applicable 729
585-586 Wheal Width (mm)
00 13,739
01-43 1,734
88 - Blank, but applicable 731
587 Confluent
1 - Yes 246
2 - No 15,070
8 - Blank, but applicable 888
588-589 Flare Length (mm)
00 13,795
01-85 1,648
88 - Blank, but applicable 759
99 - Greater than 100 mm 2
590-591 Flare Width (mm)
00 13,793
01-87 1,601
88 - Blank, but applicable 810
592-593 Minutes
15 Minutes 1
20 Minutes 15,498
30 Minutes 1
88 - Blank, but applicable 704
594-595 Test Results (See Detailed Note)
10-20 15,915
88 - Blank, but applicable 289
Bermuda Grass-First Reading
596-597 Wheal Length (mm)
00 14,830
01-30 706
88 - Blank, but applicable 668
598-599 Wheal Width (mm)
00 14,830
01-25 706
88 - Blank, but applicable 668
600 Confluent
1 - Yes 114
2 - No 15,389
8 - Blank, but applicable 701
Tape Positions 601-651
TAPE CONTROL NHANES-II DATA
POSITIONS ITEM DESCRIPTION AND CODES COUNTS SOURCE OR NOTES
601-602 Flare Length (mm)
00 14,829
01-60 693
88 - Blank, but applicable 682
603-604 Flare Width (mm)
00 14,828
01-64 689
88 - Blank, but applicable 687
605-606 Minutes
4-8 Minutes 4
10 Minutes 15,544
13 Minutes 1
88 - Blank, but applicable 655
607-608 Test Results (See Detailed Note)
10-20 15,957
88 - Blank, but applicable 247
Bermuda Grass-Second Reading
609-610 Wheal Length (mm)
00 14,625
01-30 884
88 - Blank, but applicable 695
611-612 Wheal Width (mm)
00 14,625
01-25 883
88 - Blank, but applicable 696
613 Confluent
1 - Yes 140
2 - No 15,307
8 - Blank, but applicable 757
614-615 Flare Length (mm)
00 14,643
01-72 857
88 - Blank, but applicable 704
616-617 Flare Width (mm)
00 14,644
01-64 850
88 - Blank, but applicable 710
618-619 Minutes
20 Minutes 15,526
30 Minutes 1
88 - Blank, but applicable 677
620-621 Test Results (See Detailed Note)
10-20 15,942
88 - Blank, but applicable 262
Control (diluent)-First Reading
622-623 Wheal Length (mm)
00 15,466
01-09 66
88 - Blank, but applicable 672
624-625 Wheal Width (mm)
00 15,466
01-10 65
88 - Blank, but applicable 673
626 Confluent
1 - Yes 7
2 - No 15,527
8 - Blank, but applicable 670
627-628 Flare Length (mm)
00 15,465
02-40 69
88 - Blank, but applicable 670
629-630 Flare Width (mm)
00 15,465
01-45 69
88 - Blank, but applicable 670
631-632 Minutes
4-8 Minutes 4
10 Minutes 15,535
13 Minutes 1
88 - Blank, but applicable 664
633-634 Test Results (See Detailed Note)
10-20 15,950
88 - Blank, but applicable 254
Control (diluent)-Second Reading
635-636 Wheal Length (mm)
00 15,425
01-08 97
88 - Blank,but applicable 682
637-638 Wheal Width (mm)
00 15,427
01-10 97
88 - Blank, but applicable 680
639 Confluent
1 - Yes 10
2 - No 15,506
8 - Blank, but applicable 688
640-641 Flare Length (mm)
00 15,419
01-42 103
88 - Blank, but applicable 682
642-643 Flare Width (mm)
00 15,419
01-39 103
88 - Blank, but applicable 682
644-645 Minutes
20 Minutes 15,535
30 Minutes 1
88 - Blank, but applicable 668
646-647 Test Results (See Detailed Note)
10-20 15,953
88 - Blank, but applicable 251
Histamine-First Reading
648-649 Wheal Length (mm)
00 4,423
01-35 10,463
88 - Blank, but applicable 1,318
650-651 Wheal Width (mm)
00 4,424
01-39 10,462
88 - Blank, but applicable 1,318
Tape Positions 652-700
TAPE CONTROL NHANES-II DATA
POSITIONS ITEM DESCRIPTION AND CODES COUNTS SOURCE OR NOTES
652 Confluent
1 - Yes 114
2 - No 14,435
8 - Blank, but applicable 1,655
653-654 Flare Length (mm)
00 4,831
01-75 9,895
88 - Blank, but applicable 1,478
655-656 Flare Width (mm)
00 4,832
01-82 9,833
88 - Blank, but applicable 1,539
657-658 Minutes
2-9 Minutes 12
10 Minutes 15,176
11-14 Minutes 5
88 - Blank, but applicable 1,011
659-660 Test Results (See Detailed Note)
10-20 15,891
88 - Blank, but applicable 313
Histamine-Second Reading
661-662 Wheal Length (mm)
00 4,263
01-33 10,093
88 - Blank, but applicable 1,848
663-664 Wheal Width (mm)
00 4,249
01-38 10,095
88 - Blank, but applicable 1,860
665 Confluent
1 - Yes 99
2 - No 13,279
8 - Blank, but applicable 2,826
666-667 Flare Length (mm)
00 4,715
01-79 9,532
88 - Blank, but applicable 1,956
95 1
668-669 Flare Width (mm)
00 4,708
01-65 9,497
88 - Blank, but applicable 1,999
670-671 Minutes
10-19 Minutes 5
20 Minutes 14,854
30 Minutes 1
88 - Blank, but applicable 1,344
672-673 Test Results (See Detailed Note)
10-20 15,565
88 - Blank, but applicable 639
674 Unused Position 16,204
675 House Dust - First Reading -
NUMBER WITH VALID TEST CODES BUT
ALL MEASUREMENTS MISSING (See Detailed Note)
1 - Yes 3
0 - Other 16,201
676 House Dust - Second Reading -
NUMBER WITH VALID TEST CODES BUT
ALL MEASUREMENTS MISSING (See Detailed Note)
1 - Yes 4
0 - Other 16,200
677 Alternaria - First Reading -
NUMBER WITH VALID TEST CODES BUT
ALL MEASUREMENTS MISSING (See Detailed Note)
1 - Yes 3
0 - Other 16,201
678 Alternaria - Second Reading -
NUMBER WITH VALID TEST CODES BUT
ALL MEASUREMENTS MISSING (See Detailed Note)
1 - Yes 3
0 - Other 16,201
679 Cat - First Reading -
NUMBER WITH VALID TEST CODES BUT
ALL MEASUREMENTS MISSING (See Detailed Note)
1 - Yes 2
0 - Other 16,202
680 Cat - Second Reading -
NUMBER WITH VALID TEST CODES BUT
ALL MEASUREMENTS MISSING (See Detailed Note)
1 - Yes 4
0 - Other 16,200
681 Dog - First Reading -
NUMBER WITH VALID TEST CODES BUT
ALL MEASUREMENTS MISSING (See Detailed Note)
1 - Yes 3
0 - Other 16,201
682 Dog - Second Reading -
NUMBER WITH VALID TEST CODES BUT
ALL MEASUREMENTS MISSING (See Detailed Note)
1 - Yes 7
0 - Other 16,197
683 Ragweed - First Reading -
NUMBER WITH VALID TEST CODES BUT
ALL MEASUREMENTS MISSING (See Detailed Note)
1 - Yes 6
0 - Other 16,198
684 Ragweed - Second Reading -
NUMBER WITH VALID TEST CODES BUT
ALL MEASUREMENTS MISSING (See Detailed Note)
1 - Yes 6
0 - Other 16,198
685 Oak - First Reading -
NUMBER WITH VALID TEST CODES BUT
ALL MEASUREMENTS MISSING (See Detailed Note)
1 - Yes 5
0 - Other 16,199
686 Oak - Second Reading -
NUMBER WITH VALID TEST CODES BUT
ALL MEASUREMENTS MISSING (See Detailed Note)
1 - Yes 7
0 - Other 16,197
687 Rye Grass - First Reading -
NUMBER WITH VALID TEST CODES BUT
ALL MEASUREMENTS MISSING (See Detailed Note)
1 - Yes 4
0 - Other 16,200
688 Rye Grass - Second Reading -
NUMBER WITH VALID TEST CODES BUT
ALL MEASUREMENTS MISSING (See Detailed Note)
1 - Yes 3
0 - Other 16,201
689 Bermuda Grass - First Reading -
NUMBER WITH VALID TEST CODES BUT
ALL MEASUREMENTS MISSING (See Detailed Note)
1 - Yes 5
0 - Other 16,199
690 Bermuda Grass - Second Reading -
NUMBER WITH VALID TEST CODES BUT
ALL MEASUREMENTS MISSING (See Detailed Note)
1 - Yes 5
0 - Other 16,199
691 Diluent - First Reading -
NUMBER WITH VALID TEST CODES BUT
ALL MEASUREMENTS MISSING (See Detailed Note)
1 - Yes 3
0 - Other 16,201
692 Diluent - Second Reading -
NUMBER WITH VALID TEST CODES BUT
ALL MEASUREMENTS MISSING (See Detailed Note)
1 - Yes 6
0 - Other 16,198
693 Histamine - First Reading -
NUMBER WITH VALID TEST CODES BUT
ALL MEASUREMENTS MISSING (See Detailed Note)
1 - Yes 204
0 - Other 16,000
694 Diluent - Second Reading -
NUMBER WITH VALID TEST CODES BUT
ALL MEASUREMENTS MISSING (See Detailed Note)
1 - Yes 340
0 - Other 15,864
695-700 Unused positions
DETAILED NOTES, ALLERGY SKIN TESTING DATA
Tape Position 405
The term "Dummy Record" refers to a tape record for a respondent who was
included in the sample but for whom no allergy test data was received.
Although demographic data are available for all respondents, positions
405-694 are filled with 8's for all dummy records.
Tape Position 411
The allergens used in this study were purchased from two different
manufacturers--Nelco and Greer. In single use stands only allergens of one
manufacturer were used. In dual use stands, even numbered sample persons
received Greer allergens and odd numbered sample persons received Nelco
allergens.
The comparability of the two batteries of allergens used in this study are
fully discussed in Series 11-No. 235--Percutaneous Immediate Hypersensi-
tivity to Eight Selected Allergens in the Civilian Noninstitutionalized
Population Ages 6-74 Years: United States, 1976-80.8 In summary, the Greer
allergens were found to have increased rates of reaction for house dust,
oak, and bermuda grass. The Nelco allergen was found to have a higher rate
of reactivity for dogs. No differences in reactivity were found for
alternaria, cat, ragweed, and rye grass.
Tape Positions 425-673
Tape Postitions 425-526, 438-439, 451-452, 464-465, 477-478, 490-491,
503-504, 516-517, 529-530, 542-543, 555-556, 568-569,
581-582, 594-595, 607-608, 620-621, 633-634, 646-647,
659-660, 672-673
Test Result Codes and Definitions:
Code Definition
10 No Reaction
11 Erythema between 5 and 21 mm in diameter--no wheal
12 Erythema larger than 21 mm in diameter--no wheal
13 Wheal without erythema
14 Wheal and erythema
15 Test not given--history of allergies, history of
previous allergy testing, history of previous allergy
shots, or on allergy medicine
16 Test not given--no histamine
17 Test not given--no reason recorded
18 Test not given--patient refusal, allergic to aspirin,
patient ill, dermatitis on arms, etc.
19 No reaction at 20 minutes, data imputed--no reaction
to the allergen was recorded at the 10 minute reading
but no data was recorded for the 20 minutes reading.
We imputed the data for no reaction at 20 minutes
20 Erythema between 1 and 4 mm in diameter--no wheal
88 Blank but applicable
Tape Positions 675-694
A small number of records were found to have a valid test code indicating a
reaction to the particular allergen but no measurements for either the wheal
or flair were recorded. The measurement fields for these reactions were
coded with an eight indicating blank but applicable.
APPENDIX A - DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUES AND CONTENT
DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUES AND CONTENT
The plan developed with respect to the content of NHANES II called for the
following:
A. QUESTIONNAIRES COMPLETED IN THE HOUSEHOLD
Household questIonnaire: This questionnaire included for each
household member items on family relationships and certain
demographic variables such as age, sex, race, education,
occupation, and veteran status. Also obtained were information on
selected housing characteristics,family income,and an indication
of the family's participation in food stamp programs.
2Medical history questionnaires:
a. For each sample person 6 months-11 years of age
The questionnaire included items on birth weight,
prematurlty, congenital conditions, medication, neurological
conditions, lead poisoning, accidents, hospital care,
disability, diarrhea, pica, vision, and a variety of chronic
conditions. In addition, data were collected on allergies,
kidney and bladder disease, anemia, speech and hearing,lung
and chest conditions and participation in food programs.
b. For each sample person 12-74 years of age
The questionnaire included Items on medication, hospital
care, tuberculosiS, a variety of acute and chronic diseases,
tobacco usage, physical activity, weight, height, vision
disability, eating and gastrointestinal problems, and
participation in food programs. Detailed data were
collected on anemia, diabetes, respiratory conditions,
hearing and speech, liver and gallbladder conditions, kidney
and bladder disease, allergies, hypertension, cardiovascular
conditions, stroke and arthritis (stressing middle and upper
back and neck problems).
9. QUESTIONNAIRES ADMINISTERED IN THE MOBILE EXAMINATION CENTER
1. Dietary Questionnaires
a. For each examined Person, a 24-Hour Recall was administered
by trained dietary interviewers. Specific and quantitative
detail of every food or drink consumed during the previous
day was recorded and calculated, thus Providing estimates of
calories, protein, carbohydrates, fat, unsaturated fats,
cholesterol, and specific vitamins and minerals consumed.
h. For each examined Person, a Food Frequency Questionnaire was
administered to ascertain usual patterns of food consumption.
Daily and/or weekly consumption of foods within 26 subgroups
were recorded. In addition, data were collected on usual
vitamin-mineral supplement usage.
c. For each person 12-74 years of aqe, a Dietary Supplement form
was self-administered and reviewed. This form provided
information on special diets, recent medications and barriers
to purchasing groceries or eating foods; it does not provide
information on vitamin/mineral or other supplements to the
diet.
2. Health History Supplement, for persons 12 through 74 years of age,
included questions on cardiovascular and respiratory conditions,
kidney and bladder disease, and arthritis in addition to those
asked in the household Medical History. Also included were
questions on pesticide exposure, smoking for persons through 17
years of age, and a menstrual and pregnancy history for females.
3. Medications/Vitamin usaqe form collected information on the past
week's usage of any medicines, vitamins or minerals for all
examined persons.
4. Behavior Questionnaire elicited data on behavior which may be
associated with coronary heart disease for examined persons 2S
through 74 years of age.
C. EXAMINATION BY PHYSICIAN
A physician performed and recorded the results of a medical examination
giving special attention to specified findings related to nutrition, to
hearing, to the thyroid gland, and to the cardiovascular, respiratory,
neurological and musculoskeletal systems.
D. SPECIAL CLINICAL PROCEDURES AND TESTS
A specially trained health technician carried out the following on
examined persons In the designated age ranges:
1. Spirometry trials of examined persons 6 through 24 years of age
were digitized and recorded on magnetic tape. Various pulmonary
function indicators such as FVC (forced vital capacity), FEV1
(forced expiratory volume in one second), and peak flow rate were
subsequently derived from these data.
2. Electrocardioqrams were made on examined persons 25 through 74
years of age. Electrocardiographic signals were digitized and
recorded on magnetic tape, providing normative data on amplitude,
duration, interval and axis measurements and permitting
interpretations of heart disease according to the Minnesota
classification code.
3. Body Measurements were made on all examinees and included standing
height or recumbent length, depending on age; body weight; triceps
and subscapular skinfolds; and several other anthropometric
measurements.
4. Pure tone audiometry tests were carried out on examined persons
between the ages of 4 and 19 years,permitting determination of
threshold levels of hearing for frequencies of 500, 1000, 2000,
and 4000 Hertz for right and left ears.
5. Speech recordinq, involving use of tape recording of the subject's
repetition of specially developed sentences, was carried out on
examined persons between the ages of 4 and 6 years, permitting
interpretations as an indication of problems with articulation and
language development.
6. Allerqy tests, involving skin tests (prick test) with eight common
alleroens (house dust, alternaria, cat fur, dog fur, ragweed, oak,
rye grass, and Bermuda grass+. The tests were made on examined
persons between the ages of 6 and 74 years, to ohtain degrees of
skin reaction.
E. X-RAYS
For examined persons 25 through 74 years of age, two x-rays were made.
No x-rays were taken of pregnant women and no lumbar x-rays were taken
on women under 50 years of age.
1. X-rays of the cervical and lumbar spine were taken to provide
evidence of osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease, and an
2. X-ray of the chest was taken to be used in the diagnosis of
respiratory diseases and to serve as a measure of left ventricular
enlargement.
F. URINE TESTS
Tests as follows were performed on casual samples of urine:
1. N-Multistix tests for qualitative protein, glucose, ketones,
bilirubin, blood, urobilinogen, pH, and bacteriuria (nitrite test)
were done for examined persons 6 through 74 years of age.
2. Urinary sediments, including red cells, white cells, and casts,
were measured for a subsample of examined adults 20 through 74
years of age.
3. Gonorrhea cultures of urinary sediments were performed for male
and female examined persons 12 through 40 years of age. However,
of those females who received the Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT),
only those 20 through 24 years had the gonorrhea test performee.
4. Analyses for pesticide residue and metabolite levels were carried
out on a subsample of examined persons 12 through 74 years of age,
including measures of the body burdens from exposure to alkyl
phosphate residues and metabolites, carbamate residues, phenolic
compound residues and malathion metabolites.
G. TESTS ON BLOOD SAMPLES
Samples of blood provide a broad range of information related to health
and nutrition. The particular tests performed varied with the specific
target condition and age group as described on page 39 of the Series 1,
No. 15 program description.8
1. Glucose tolerance test (GTT)
This test involved collection of blood specimens while in a
fasting state as well as at one and two hours after glucose
challenge. The test was performed on a subsample of examined
adults 20 through 74 years of age to provide estimates of the
prevalence of diabetes.
2. Tests related to liver function
a. A post-prandial liver bile acid test was performed to measure
the ability of the liver to remove bile acids from the blood.
This Involved consumption of a food preparation, which
induces eventual addition of bile acids to the blood via
contraction of the gallbladder, and subsequent collection of
blood specimens.
b. Liver biochemistries performed include bilirubin, SGOT, and
alkaline phosphatase tests.
3. Anemia-related laboratory tests
The tests made to characterize anemia consisted of protoporphyrin,
iron, total Iron binding capacity (TIBC), zinc, copper, red cell
folates, serum folates, serum ferritin, B12, and the determination
of abnormal hemoglobin.
4. Other nutritional biochemistries
These tests included albumin, Vitamin A, and Vitamin C.
5. Serum lipids
Because of their important relevance to cardiovascular disease,
determinations were made of cholesterol, triglycerides, and high
density lipoprotein (HOL).
6. Biochemistries for body burden from environmental exposures
determinations were made of body burden levels of lead and
pesticide residues and metabolites. Tests were also performed for
carboxyhemoglobin which reflects environmental exposure to carbon
monoxide and the individual's smoking habits.
7. Hematoloqy
The hematology included determinations of hemoglobin, hematocrit,
red blood cell count, white blood cell count and differential
leukocyte analysis, and red blood cell morphology and hemoglobin
phenotyping.
8. Kidney function
The only quantitative test for kidney function performed on blood
samples was the serum creatinine test.
9. Syphilis
The serology determinations for syphilis included qualitative and
quantitative ART, a FTA-ARS and MHA-TP.
APPENDIX B - ALLERGY SKIN TEST PROCEDURES
ALLERGY TEST
Equipment
Sponge wipes
Needles, 25 gauge, 5/8"
Allergens
Alternaria
Bermuda grass
Cat
Dog
House dust
Mixed long and short ragweed
Oak
Perennial rye grass
Histamine base
Phosphate buffered saline (control)
General
The allergy test administered by the health technicians is designed so
that constitutional reactions that would necessitate the use of emergency
medical procedures will be kept to a minimum. The allergens most likely to
cause constitutional reactions are cat, dog, and to a lesser extent ragweed.
Procedure
1. Before testing
Ask the examinee whether or not he:
o Has ever had even a small positive reaction to a skin test for
cat, dog, or ragweed.
o Has a history of allergy to cat, dog, or ragweed.
Write in the examinee's age on the right side of box c, "Sex."
Questions 22-24 on the Medical history for ages 6 months to 11 years and
questions 58-60 on the medical history for ages 12-74 years pertain to
the examinee's allergy history.
If there is no indication that the examinee is allergic to cats, dogs,
or ragweed or that he is highly sensitive to certain other types of
materials, then administer the tests according to the instructions in
this chapter.
If the examinee has a history of allergy to cats, dogs, or ragweed, has
had a positive reaction to any one of the three, or is known according
to the Medical istory to be a highly sensitive person, do the allergy
test as usual with the following exception. DO NOT administer the cat,
dog, or ragweed allergens.
After the 10-minute reading ask the physician to review the examinee's
allergy history along with the results of the 10-minute reading for the
allergens administered. The physician will decide whether to proceed
with the cat, dog, and ragweed testing in total or in part based on
either of the following:
o The history of allergy to cats, dogs, and ragweed and the overall
sensitivity of the person based on the appropriate items in the
medical history.
o The reactions at 10 minutes to the other allergens administered:
o If less than three of the other allergens show positive
reactions, (codes 12, 13, 14) then cat, dog, and ragweed
allergens should be administered in the regular fashion in the
other arm. (A HISTAMINE REACTION IS NOT TO BE COUNTED AS A
POSITIVE).
o If three or more of the other allergens show positive
reactions (12, 13, 14) then cat and dog allergens will not be
administered. Ragweed may be administered in the other arm,
but with caution. If a wheal (the flat, edematous elevation
of the skin) of at least 6 mm in diameter appears, wipe the
site immediately and make a reading. Record the time the
reading was made under "Minutes" if the reading was made
before 10 minutes after the allergen was applied. Read again
at 20 minutes even though the wheal area was wiped. If a
wheal of at least 6 mm in diameter does not appear before 10
minutes after application, do the usual 10-minute and
20-minute readings.
2. Administration of the allergy test
a. Sponge the inside of either forearm with alcohol and let the arm
air-dry.
b. Use a black marking pen to mark 10 dots, two rows of five each,
for the skin pricks. Avoid the vascular areas near the elbows
and wrists.
c. Put a drop of allergen solution next to each dot until all ten
solution have been used. Use small drops of allergens so that
they won't run.
d. Prick the skin under the drops by lifting the skin lightly with
a 25 gauge BD needle.
e. Set the timer for the 10-minute reading as soon as the first
prick is made.
f. When the timer goes off at 10 minutes, immediately reset it for
the 20-minute reading and then read the reactions and record the
results of the readings for the allergens administered according
to the instructions in the next section.
g. 20 minutes after the first prick read the reactions and record
the results for all the allergens administered.
3. Reading the reactions and recording the results
For all tests administered complete the Allergy Testing form, Deck
No. 309, as follows:
a. First Reading
(1) Time
Normally the first reading is taken 10 minutes after first
prick is made. However, in the case of an extreme
reaction, safety precautions, the examinee's needing to
leave the exam center, or some other reason, measurements
of reactions may have to be done at a time other than the
standard time of 10 minutes after the prick. If there is a
deviation from 10 minutes, record the time of the reading
under "Minutes" and record the reason why across the bottom
of the form.
(2) Recording results
(a) For each allergen whose wheal at 10 minutes is 6 mm or
more in diameter, record the wheal's exact
measurements under "Wheal Length" and "Wheal Width."
Check under "Confluent" whether or not the reaction
from the allergens has run into that of any other
allergen. Record also the exact measurements of the
flare or erythema (area of redness) surrounding the
wheal under "Flare Length" and "Flare Width." Write
in under "Test Results" the code that best describes
the reaction from that allergen according to the code
definitions given at the bottom of the Allergy Testing
form. Blot the test areas after the 10-minute reading.
(b) For each allergen whose wheal at 10 minutes is less
than 6 mm in diameter, record whether the reaction is
confluent or not, measure and record the wheal and
flare length and width, and write in the code number
which best describes the test results.
(c) Erythema boundary -- The distinguishing of the
erythema boundary is easy in most cases. Wiping with
an alcohol sponge will help in the determination.
In the case of a dark skinned person the boundary is
harder to determine. A bright light will help with
this problem. Either a 75 watt incandescent or
fluorescent bulb can be used. Bright sunlight will
help if a lamp is not available. In all cases, before
reading wipe with an alcohol sponge.
b. Second Reading
(1) Time
Normally the second reading is taken 20 minutes after the
first prick is made. However, in the case of extreme
reaction, safety precautions, an examinee's needing to
leave the exam center, or some other reason, measurements
of reactions may have to be done at a time other than the
standard time of 20 minutes after the prick. If there is a
deviation from 20 minutes, record the time of the reading
under "Minutes" and record the reason why across the bottom
of the form.
(2) Recording results
Measure the length and width of each wheal and flare and
record the measurements in the appropriate spaces. Also,
record whether or not the reaction was confluent with
another reaction. Write in the appropriate test result
according to the codes at the bottom of the form. If there
is no reaction for an allergen, leave every space blank
except the space for "Test Results;" record "10" in that
space.
c. After the second reading
(1) Wipe the arm clean with alcohol.
(2) Check on the form whether the test was satisfactory or
unsatisfactory. If it was unsatisfactory, give reason why.
(3) Don't let the examinee leave the examination center before
30 minutes after the administration of the allergens.
d. Physician's report of findings
In transferring the results of the allergy test to the report of
findings use the following translations to make the test result
codes correspondent to the codes from the "Notes on Tests and
Procedures."
Allergy form Report of findings
test result code code
10, 20 0
11 1
12 2
13 3
14 4
15-18 5
19 6
Emergency Procedure
Generalized reactions to the skin tests are not expected. However, if
one does occur it may be sudden and sometimes serious. Do not wait for
full development of an adverse reaction. If the examinee says he feels
funny, faint, dizzy, or weak, that is the signal to immediately notify
the physician who will take appropriate action.
The recommended treatment is indicated below and has been excerpted from
an article by Sheldon C. Siegel, M.D., as a contribution to "Current
Pediatric Therapy."
"At the first sign of an impending anaphylactic reaction, the following
drugs should be promptly administered and the described additional measures
taken as indicated:
Epinephrine 1:1000, 0.3 to 0.5ml, should be administered either
subcutaneously or intramuscularly. If no response is noted within 5
minutes, the dose may be repeated. In the event of severe shock with
vascular collapse, 1 ml of 1:1000 epinephrine diluted in 10 ml of saline
solution should be administered by slow intravenous injection.
"If the anaphylaxis has been caused by a therapeutic agent injected into
an extremity, a tourniquet should be placed proximal to the site to delay
absorption, and an additional 0.25 ml of epinephrine injected directly into
the previous injection site.
"The administration of epinephrine should be followed immediately by an
intramuscular or intravenous injection of an antihistaminic such as
diphenhydramine (Benadryl). The dose for an older child should be
comparable to that for an adult, 50 mg; for an infant or younger child, use
1 mg/kg, not exceeding 50 mg per dose or 150 mg per day."
"Oxygen administered promptly will minimize the development of hypoxia,
which may in itself contribute to vascular collapse and cerebral edema.
Vigilance must be kept at all times to make certain the patient has adequate
ventilation. Excess secretions should be removed by suction. If the airway
becomes completely obstructed by angioedema, intubation or tracheostomy may
be necessary."
Antigen Care
The test antigens should always be refrigerated to maintain their
stability. To assure stability throughout a stand the following should be
followed:
1. Since 4 fresh vials of each antigen are provided at the beginning of
each stand, discard all opened vials midway through the stand and
replace with fresh vials which have been refrigerated since the
beginning of the stand. At the end of each stand, discard all
opened and unopened vials of antigen.
2. During an examination session antigen vials should be kept in
special containers at a temperature of between 2 and 4 C.
3. After the last session of each day and after the first session of a
split session day, antigens are to be replaced in the refrigerator.
Again, the ideal temperature is 2 to 4 C.
