The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is a survey

Statistical survey

Survey methodology is the field that studies surveys, that is, the sample of individuals from a population with a view towards making statistical inferences about the population using the sample. Polls about public opinion, such as political beliefs, are reported in the news media in democracies....

 research

Research

Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...

 program conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics

National Center for Health Statistics

National Center for Health Statistics is a division of the United States federal agency the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . As such, NCHS is under the United States Department of Health and Human Services...

 (NCHS) to asses the health

Health

Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...

 and nutritional

Nutrition

Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....

 status of adults and children in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, and to track changes over time. The survey combines interview

Interview

An interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...

s and physical examination

Physical examination

Physical examination or clinical examination is the process by which a doctor investigates the body of a patient for signs of disease. It generally follows the taking of the medical history — an account of the symptoms as experienced by the patient...

s. The NHANES interview includes demographic

Demographics

Demographics are the most recent statistical characteristics of a population. These types of data are used widely in sociology , public policy, and marketing. Commonly examined demographics include gender, race, age, disabilities, mobility, home ownership, employment status, and even location...

, socioeconomic

Socioeconomics

Socioeconomics or socio-economics or social economics is an umbrella term with different usages. 'Social economics' may refer broadly to the "use of economics in the study of society." More narrowly, contemporary practice considers behavioral interactions of individuals and groups through social...

, dietary

Diet (nutrition)

In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. Dietary habits are the habitual decisions an individual or culture makes when choosing what foods to eat. With the word diet, it is often implied the use of specific intake of nutrition for health or weight-management...

, and health-related questions. The examination component consists of medical, dental

Dentistry

Dentistry is the branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body. Dentistry is widely considered...

, and physiological

Physiology

Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...

 measurements, as well as laboratory tests administered by medical personnel.

The first NHANES was conducted in 1971. Findings from the survey are used to determine the prevalence of major disease

Disease

A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...

s and risk factor

Risk factor

In epidemiology, a risk factor is a variable associated with an increased risk of disease or infection. Sometimes, determinant is also used, being a variable associated with either increased or decreased risk.-Correlation vs causation:...

s for diseases. Information is used to assess nutritional status and its association with health promotion

Health promotion

Health promotion has been defined by the World Health Organization's 2005 Bangkok Charter for Health Promotion in a Globalized World as "the process of enabling people to increase control over their health and its determinants, and thereby improve their health"...

 and disease prevention. NHANES findings are also the basis for national standards for such measurements as height

Human height

Human height is the distance from the bottom of the feet to the top of the head in a human body standing erect.When populations share genetic background and environmental factors, average height is frequently characteristic within the group...

, weight

Body weight

The term body weight is used in daily English speech as well as in the contexts of biological and medical sciences to describe the mass of an organism's body. Body weight is measured in kilograms throughout the world, although in some countries it is still measured in pounds or stones and pounds...

, and blood pressure

Blood pressure

Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by circulating blood upon the walls of blood vessels, and is one of the principal vital signs. When used without further specification, "blood pressure" usually refers to the arterial pressure of the systemic circulation. During each heartbeat, BP varies...

. Data from this survey are used in epidemiological

Epidemiology

Epidemiology is the study of health-event, health-characteristic, or health-determinant patterns in a population. It is the cornerstone method of public health research, and helps inform policy decisions and evidence-based medicine by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive...

 studies and health sciences research, which help develop sound public health policy, direct and design health programs and services, and expand the health knowledge.

External links

• Official website
• http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/DSDR/studies/25501?q=nhanes&archive=DSDR&x=15&y=7 DSDR page for NHANES 1999-2000
• http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/DSDR/studies/25502?q=nhanes&archive=DSDR&x=15&y=7 DSDR page for NHANES 2001-2002
• http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/DSDR/studies/25503?q=nhanes&archive=DSDR&x=15&y=7 DSDR page for NHANES 2003-2004
• http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/DSDR/studies/25504?q=nhanes&archive=DSDR&x=15&y=7 DSDR page for NHANES 2005-2006
• http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/DSDR/studies/25505?q=nhanes&archive=DSDR&x=15&y=7 DSDR page for NHANES 2007-2008