Context

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is a program of studies designed to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States. The survey is unique in that it combines interviews and physical examinations. NHANES is a major program of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). NCHS is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and has the responsibility for producing vital and health statistics for the Nation.

The NHANES program began in the early 1960s and has been conducted as a series of surveys focusing on different population groups or health topics. In 1999, the survey became a continuous program that has a changing focus on a variety of health and nutrition measurements to meet emerging needs. The survey examines a nationally representative sample of about 5,000 persons each year. These persons are located in counties across the country, 15 of which are visited each year.

The NHANES interview includes demographic, socioeconomic, dietary, and health-related questions. The examination component consists of medical, dental, and physiological measurements, as well as laboratory tests administered by highly trained medical personnel.

To date, thousands of research findings have been published using the NHANES data.

Content

The 2013-2014 NHANES datasets include the following components:

1. Demographics dataset:

• A complete variable dictionary can be found here

1. Examinations dataset, which contains:

• Blood pressure

• Body measures

• Muscle strength - grip test

• Oral health - dentition

• Taste & smell

• A complete variable dictionary can be found here

1. Dietary data - total nutrient intake, first day:

• A complete variable dictionary can be found here

1. Laboratory dataset, which includes:

• Albumin & Creatinine - Urine

• Apolipoprotein B

• Blood Lead, Cadmium, Total Mercury, Selenium, and Manganese

• Blood mercury: inorganic, ethyl and methyl

• Cholesterol - HDL

• Cholesterol - LDL & Triglycerides

• Cholesterol - Total

• Complete Blood Count with 5-part Differential - Whole Blood

• Copper, Selenium & Zinc - Serum

• Fasting Questionnaire

• Fluoride - Plasma

• Fluoride - Water

• Glycohemoglobin

• Hepatitis A

• Hepatitis B Surface Antibody

• Hepatitis B: core antibody, surface antigen, and Hepatitis D antibody

• Hepatitis C RNA (HCV-RNA) and Hepatitis C Genotype

• Hepatitis E: IgG & IgM Antibodies

• Herpes Simplex Virus Type-1 & Type-2

• HIV Antibody Test

• Human Papillomavirus (HPV) - Oral Rinse

• Human Papillomavirus (HPV) DNA - Vaginal Swab: Roche Cobas & Roche Linear Array

• Human Papillomavirus (HPV) DNA Results from Penile Swab Samples: Roche Linear Array

• Insulin

• Iodine - Urine

• Perchlorate, Nitrate & Thiocyanate - Urine

• Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (formerly Polyfluoroalkyl Chemicals - PFC)

• Personal Care and Consumer Product Chemicals and Metabolites

• Phthalates and Plasticizers Metabolites - Urine

• Plasma Fasting Glucose

• Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) - Urine

• Standard Biochemistry Profile

• Tissue Transglutaminase Assay (IgA-TTG) & IgA Endomyseal Antibody Assay (IgA EMA)

• Trichomonas - Urine

• Two-hour Oral Glucose Tolerance Test

• Urinary Chlamydia

• Urinary Mercury

• Urinary Speciated Arsenics

• Urinary Total Arsenic

• Urine Flow Rate

• Urine Metals

• Urine Pregnancy Test

• Vitamin B12

• A complete data dictionary can be found here

1. Questionnaire dataset, which includes information on:

• Acculturation

• Alcohol Use

• Blood Pressure & Cholesterol

• Cardiovascular Health

• Consumer Behavior

• Current Health Status

• Dermatology

• Diabetes

• Diet Behavior & Nutrition

• Disability

• Drug Use

• Early Childhood

• Food Security

• Health Insurance

• Hepatitis

• Hospital Utilization & Access to Care

• Housing Characteristics

• Immunization

• Income

• Medical Conditions

• Mental Health - Depression Screener

• Occupation

• Oral Health

• Osteoporosis

• Pesticide Use

• Physical Activity

• Physical Functioning

• Preventive Aspirin Use

• Reproductive Health

• Sexual Behavior

• Sleep Disorders

• Smoking - Cigarette Use

• Smoking - Household Smokers

• Smoking - Recent Tobacco Use

• Smoking - Secondhand Smoke Exposure

• Taste & Smell

• Weight History

• Weight History - Youth

• A complete variable dictionary can be found here

1. Medication dataset, which includes prescription medications:

• A complete variable dictionary can be found here

Acknowledgements

Original data and additional documents related to the datasets or NHANES can be found here.

[Note: Integrated as part of FoodData Central, April 2019.] USDA's Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS) is a database that is used to convert food and beverages consumed in What We Eat In America (WWEIA), National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) into gram amounts and to determine their nutrient values. Because FNDDS is used to generate the nutrient intake data files for WWEIA, NHANES, it is not required to estimate nutrient intakes from the survey. FNDDS is made available for researchers using WWEIA, NHANES to review the nutrient profiles for specific foods and beverages as well as their associated portions and recipes. Such detailed information makes it possible for researchers to conduct enhanced analysis of dietary intakes. FNDDS can also be used in other dietary studies to code foods/beverages and amounts eaten and to calculate the amounts of nutrients/food components in those items.
FNDDS is released every two-years in conjunction with the WWEIA, NHANES dietary data release. The FNDDS is available for free download from the FSRG website. Resources in this dataset:Resource Title: Website Pointer to Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies. File Name: Web Page, url: https://www.ars.usda.gov/northeast-area/beltsville-md-bhnrc/beltsville-human-nutrition-research-center/food-surveys-research-group/docs/fndds/ USDA's Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS) is a database that is used to convert food and beverages consumed in What We Eat In America (WWEIA), National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) into gram amounts and to determine their nutrient values.