NHANES Overview Brochure

Attachment 13f
National Center for Health Statistics

National Health and Nutrition
Examination Survey
Overview

Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
National Center for
Health Statistics

Introduction/Background

Survey Content

The National Health and Nutrition
Examination Survey (NHANES) is the most
in-depth survey designed to evaluate the
health and nutritional status of adults and
children in the United States. This survey
combines information from interviews and
physical examinations. NHANES is run by the
National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS),
part of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC).

The NHANES interviews include demographic,
socioeconomic, dietary, and health questions.
NHANES looks at different risk factors such
as a person’s lifestyle, physical characteristics,
heredity, or environment that may increase the
chances of developing a certain disease or
condition.
The survey studies obesity, diabetes,
hypertension and cholesterol, nutrition and
dietary intake, as well as smoking, alcohol
consumption, sexual practices, drug use,
physical fitness and activity, and other factors
critical to health.

The first NHANES program began in the early
1960s. Since 1999, the survey has examined
about 5,000 people in 15 different counties
across the country each year. The NHANES
sample is selected to represent the entire U.S.
population.

The examination consists of medical and
physical measurements and laboratory
tests performed by highly trained medical
personnel. Body measurements are included
for everyone and blood pressure is measured
for those 8 years and older. All but the very
young have a blood sample drawn. Additional
examinations such as a body composition
scan and liver ultrasound are given depending
on the age of the participant.

NHANES data are needed to understand and
improve health in the United States. NHANES
plays a critical role in:

• Determining the prevalence and risk factors
of major diseases

• Assessing the nutritional status and its
association with health promotion and
disease prevention

• Serving as the basis for national standards
for measurements such as height, weight,
and blood pressure

• Identifying the prevalence of undiagnosed
diseases such as diabetes.

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Survey Operations

Uses of the Data

Health interviews are conducted by
telephone. Health measurements are
performed in specially designed and
equipped mobile centers, which travel to
locations throughout the country. NHANES
team consists of highly trained medical and
health personnel. Many of the study staff
are bilingual in English and Spanish.

Information from NHANES is made available
through a series of publications and articles
in scientific and technical journals. For data
users and researchers throughout the world,
NHANES survey data are available on the
internet.
Research organizations, universities, health
care providers, and educators benefit from
survey information. Primary data users are
the federal agencies that collaborated in the
design and development of the survey.

In each location, local health and
government officials are notified of the
upcoming survey. Selected households in
the study area receive a letter to introduce
the survey. Local media may feature stories
about the survey.

The National Institutes of Health, the Food
and Drug Administration, and Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention are among the
agencies that rely upon NHANES to provide
data essential for the implementation and
evaluation of program activities.

NHANES is designed to help and encourage
participation. Transportation is provided to
and from the mobile centers and the costs of
childcare or care of an adult, if needed.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and
NCHS collaborate in planning and reporting
dietary and nutrition information from the
survey. NHANES’ partnership with the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency allows
continued study of the many important
environmental influences on health.

Each participant will receive a token of
thanks for his or her time and a report of
his or her medical findings. All information
collected in the survey is kept confidential.
Privacy is protected by public laws.

NHANES’ record of important
accomplishments is made possible by the
hundreds of thousands of Americans who
have participated.

Assurance of Confidentiality – We take your
privacy very seriously. All information that relates
to or describes identifiable characteristics of
individuals, a practice, or an establishment will
be used only for statistical purposes. NCHS
staff, contractors, and agents will not disclose
or release responses in identifiable form without
the consent of the individual or establishment
in accordance with section 308(d) of the
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 242m) and
the Confidential Information Protection and
Statistical Efficiency Act of 2018 (Title III of the
Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking
Act of 2018 (Pub. L. No. 115-435, 132 Stat.
5529 § 302)). In accordance with CIPSEA,
every NCHS employee, contractor, and agent
has taken an oath and is subject to a jail term of
up to five years, a fine of up to $250,000, or both
if he or she willfully discloses ANY identifiable
information about you.

• NHANES data help produce national

references for such measurements as
height and weight (pediatric growth charts)
and blood pressure. The pediatric growth
charts are updated using the latest NHANES
statistics.

• National programs to reduce hypertension

and cholesterol levels continue to depend
on NHANES data to steer education and
prevention programs toward those at risk
and to measure success in the risk factors
associated with heart disease, the nation’s
number one cause of death.

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Recent NHANES findings
cardiovascular disease, stroke, arthritis, and
certain cancers.

Undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes: NHANES
data have shown that 3 out of 10 people
in the U.S. have diabetes but had not been
previously diagnosed by a doctor.

Oral Care in Children: Toothpaste and
toothbrushing data from NHANES showed
that 8 of 10 children ages 3-15 started
brushing later than recommended and that 3
out of 10 children ages 3-15 years old brushed
their teeth only once a day.

Fast Food Consumption: In survey years
2013-2016, 4 out 10 adults said they ate
fast food on a given day. Poor diet and low
physical activity can lead to overweight
and obesity, which are risk factors for the
development of different diseases.

These are just a few examples of how
survey findings have been used. Results of
NHANES benefit people in the United States
in important ways. With reliable health data
of the population, government agencies and
private sector organizations can establish
policies and plan research, education, and
health promotion programs.

Obesity Rates: NHANES data from
2017-2018 showed that about 4 out of
10 adults in the U.S. were obese. Adult
obesity is associated with increased risk
of several health conditions, including
diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol,

For more information about the National Center for Health Statistics, contact:
National Center for Health Statistics Information Dissemination Staff
3311 Toledo Road,
MS–P08 Hyattsville, MD 20782-2064
Telephone: 1–800–232–4636
E-mail:
cdcinfo@cdc.gov
Internet:
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs
For more information about the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey,
you may visit the NHANES website at: www.cdc.gov/NHANES

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