Definitions

  • Current Asthma
    Derived from "yes" responses to the following questions: Have you ever been told by a doctor, nurse, or other health professional that you had asthma? AND Do you still have asthma?
  • Arthritis
    Derived from "yes" response to the following question: Have you ever been told by a doctor or other health professional that you have some form of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus, or fibromyalgia?
  • Cancer (skin) 
    Derived from "yes" response to the following question:
    Have you ever been told by a doctor, nurse or other health professional that you had skin cancer?
  • Cancer (other than skin) 
    Derived from “yes” response to the following question:
    Have you ever been told you had any other types of cancer?
  • Depressive Disorder 
    Derived from “yes” response to the following question:
    Have you ever been told by a doctor, nurse or other health professional that you have a depressive disorder (including depression, major depression, dysthymia or minor depression)?
  • COPD 
    Derived from “yes” response to the following question:
    Have you ever been told by a doctor, nurse or other health professional that you have COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), emphysema or chronic bronchitis?
  • Kidney Disease 
    Derived from “yes” response to the following question:
    Have you ever been told by a doctor, nurse or other health professional that you have kidney disease? Do not include kidney stones, bladder infection or incontinence.
  • Diabetes 
    Derived from "yes" response to the following question:
    Have you ever been told by a doctor that you have diabetes?
    (Females who responded "yes" to having been told they had diabetes only when pregnant and respondents that were told they had pre-diabetes or were borderline diabetic are not included as having diabetes.)
  • High Blood Pressure 
    Derived from "yes" response to the following question:
    Have you ever been told by a doctor, nurse, or other health professional that you have high blood pressure?
    (Females who responded "yes" to having been told they had high blood pressure only when pregnant and respondents that were told they had borderline high or were pre-hypertensive are not included as having high blood pressure.)
  • High Cholesterol 
    Derived from "yes" responses to the following questions:
    Blood cholesterol is a fatty substance found in the blood. Have you ever had your blood cholesterol checked? AND
    Have you ever been told by a doctor, nurse, or other health professional that your blood cholesterol is high?
  • Angina or Coronary Heart Disease 
    Derived from "yes" response to the following question:
    Has a doctor, nurse, or other health professional ever told you that you had angina or coronary heart disease?
  • Myocardial Infarction or "Heart Attack" 
    Derived from "yes" response to the following question:
    Has a doctor, nurse, or other health professional ever told you that you had a heart attack, also called a myocardial infarction?
  • Stroke 
    Derived from "yes" response to the following question:
    Has a doctor, nurse, or other health professional ever told you that you had a stroke?
  • HIV/AIDS Test 
    Derived from "yes" response from respondents 18 to 64 years of age to the following question:
    Have you ever been tested for HIV? Do not count tests you may have had as part of a blood donation. Include testing fluid from your mouth.
  • Fair or Poor General Health Status 
    Derived from "fair" or "poor" response to the following question:
    Would you say that in general your health is excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor?
  • No Health Care Coverage - age 18-64 
    Derived from "no" response to the following question:
    Do you have any kind of health care coverage, including health insurance, prepaid plans such as HMOs, or government plans such as Medicare?
  • Current Cigarette Smoking 
    Derived from "yes" response to the following question:
    Have you smoked at least 100 cigarettes in your entire life? AND "Every day" or "some days" response to the following question:
    Do you now smoke cigarettes every day, some days, or not at all?
  • Binge Drinking 
    Binge drinking is defined as having 5 or more drinks for men and 4 or more drinks for women on one or more occasions in the past 30 days.
    It is derived from "yes" or "no" response to to the question "In the past 30 days, have you had a least one drink of any alcoholic beverage?" AND
    "1" or more times (occasions) response to the question "Considering all types of alcoholic beverages, how many times during the past 30 days did you have X [X=5 Men, X=4 Women] or more drinks on an occasion?"
  • Consumed fruits and vegetables 5 or more times per day in past month 
    Derived by the number of times per day, week or month respondent drank 100% fruit juice, and ate fruit, dark green vegetables, orange-colored vegetables, or other vegetables. (See questions in 2013 Questionnaire in Data Elements)
  • No Leisure Time Physical Activity 
    Derived from "no" response to the following question:
    During the past 30 days, other than your regular job, did you participate in any physical activities or exercise such as running, calisthenics, golf, gardening, or walking for exercise?
  • Overweight (25.0 - 29.9 BMI) 
    Derived by calculating BMI using responses to the following questions:
    About how much do you weigh without shoes?
    About how tall are you without shoes?

    Body mass index (BMI) is an indicator or body fat and is calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared (kg / m2). Weight in pounds (lbs) is converted to weight in kilograms (kg) using 0.45 kg/lb. Height in feet and inches is first converted to height in inches (in), then height in centimeters (cm) using 2.54 cm/in, then to meters by dividing by 100.
  • Obese (>= 30 BMI) Derived by calculating BMI using responses to the following questions:
    About how much do you weigh without shoes?
    About how tall are you without shoes?

    Body mass index (BMI) is an indicator or body fat and is calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared (kg / m2). Weight in pounds (lbs) is converted to weight in kilograms (kg) using 0.45 kg/lb. Height in feet and inches is first converted to height in inches (in), then height in centimeters (cm) using 2.54 cm/in, then to meters by dividing by 100.
  • Influenza Immunization – Age 18 and older 
    Derived from “yes” response from men and women 18 years of age and older to the following question:
    During the past 12 months, have you had either a seasonal flu shot or a seasonal flu vaccine that was sprayed in your nose?
  • Influenza Immunization – Age 65 and older 
    Derived from "yes" response from men and women 65 years of age and older to the following question:
    During the past 12 months, have you had either a seasonal flu shot or a seasonal flu vaccine that was sprayed in your nose?
  • Pneumococcal Vaccine 
    Derived from "yes" response from men and women 65 years of age and older to the following question:
    A pneumonia shot or pneumococcal vaccine is usually given only once or twice in a person's lifetime and is different from the flu shot. Have you ever had a pneumonia shot?
  • Mammography 
    Derived from “Yes” or "no" response from women 40 years of age and older to the following question: “A mammogram is an X-ray of the breast to look for breast cancer. Have you ever had a mammogram?” AND “Within the past year” or “Within past 2 years” response to the question: “How long has it been since you had your last mammogram?”
  • Pap Test 
    Derived from "yes" or "no" response from women 18 years of age and older to the following question:
    A Pap test is a test for cancer of the cervix. Have you ever had a Pap? AND "Within the past year" or "Within the past 2 years" or "Within the past 3 years" response to the following question:
    How long has it been since you had your last Pap test?
  • Home Blood Stool Test 
    Derived from "yes" or "no" response from men and women 50 years of age and older to the following question:
    A blood stool test is a test that may use a special kit at home to determine whether the stool contains blood. Have you ever had this test using a home kit? AND
    "Within the past year" or "Within the past two years" response to the following question:
    How long has it been since you had your last blood stool test using a home kit?
  • Flexible Sigmoidoscopy/Colonoscopy 
    Derived from "yes" response from men and women 50 years of age and older to the following question:
    Sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy are exams in which a tube is inserted in the rectum to view the colon for signs of cancer or other health problems. Have you ever had either of these exams?
  • Prostate Specific Antigen 
    Derived from "yes" or "no" response from men 40 years of age and older to the following question:
    A Prostate-Specific Antigen test, also called a PSA test, is a blood test used to check men for prostate cancer. Have you ever had a PSA test? AND
    "Within the past year" or "Within the past two years" response to the following question:
    How long has it been since you had your last PSA test?
  • Seatbelt Use 
    Derived from any response other than “always” to the question:
    How often do you use seat belts when you drive or ride in a car?
  • Folic Acid - Women age 18-44 
    Derived from a “yes” response to the following question:
    How many times a week do you currently take a multivitamin, a prenatal vitamin or a folic acid vitamin?