Description

BDDAY2WK reports the number of days during the preceding two weeks that the individual stayed in bed because of illness or injury. The interviewer handed the respondent a calendar with the reference period (beginning on a Monday and ending on the most recent past Sunday) marked in red and asked, "During those 2 weeks, did [you/person] stay in bed because of any illness or injury?" If the response was affirmative, the interviewer asked, "During that 2-week period, how many days did [you/person] stay in bed all or most of the day?"

The Field Representative's Manual for 1968 provided detailed instructions on how to interpret the words "day in bed." Specifically, such days encompassed any day in which the person stayed in bed for more than half of daylight hours due to illness or injury. "Taking a nap 'on general principles'" did not count as a day in bed, but the term "bed" was broadly defined as a sofa, cot, or mattress. The principle issue was whether persons were too ill to get around and had to confine their activities to such things as sleeping, resting, or watching television while lying down. All hospital days and days as a patient in a sanitarium or nursing home counted as bed days, regardless of whether the patient stayed in bed at the hospital, sanitarium, or nursing home.

Comparability

The only factor limiting the comparability of this variable over time is a slight difference in question wording for 1968-1981 versus 1982-1996. For the earlier period, the question referred to staying in bed "all or most of the day"; for the later period, the question referred to staying in bed "more than half the day."

Universe

Availability

• 1963-1996

Weights

• 1963-1996 : PERWEIGHT