Proposed Revision: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Section 306 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act (42 U.S.C. 242k), as amended, authorizes that the Secretary of Health and Human Services (DHHS), acting through NCHS, shall collect statistics on the extent and nature of illness and disability; environmental, social and other health hazards; and determinants of health of the population of the United States. This three-year clearance request includes the data collection in 2009 and 2010 and data planning and testing activities for 2011-2012 data collection. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) was conducted periodically between 1970 and 1994, and continuously since 1999 by the National Center for Health Statistics, CDC. Almost 19,000 persons are screened, with about 5,000 participants interviewed and examined annually. Participation in NHANES is completely voluntary and confidential. NHANES programs produce descriptive statistics which measure the health and nutrition status of the general population. Through the use of questionnaires, physical examinations, and laboratory tests, NHANES studies the relationship between diet, nutrition and health in a representative sample of the United States. NHANES monitors the prevalence of chronic conditions and risk factors related to health such as arthritis, asthma, osteoporosis, infectious diseases, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, smoking, drug and alcohol use, physical activity, environmental exposures, and diet. NHANES data are used to produce national reference data on height, weight, and nutrient levels in the blood. Results from more recent NHANES can be compared to findings reported from previous surveys to monitor changes in the health of the U.S. population over time. NHANES continues to collect genetic material on a national probability sample for future genetic research aimed at understanding disease susceptibility in the U.S. population.