Description

For sample adults, CANDTP reports the time unit (day, week, month, or year) that corresponds with the frequency with which the respondent reported eating candy. CANDTP should be used in conjunction with CANDNO, which reports the corresponding frequency stated by the respondent. For information about the portion size, see CANDYSIZ.

CANDTP is part of a series of variables initiated in 1987 related to food, food knowledge, and cancer.

Comparability

Prior to 2000, respondents were asked about foods they usually ate in the past year. Beginning in 2000, this recall period was reduced to foods the respondent usually ate in the past month. The structure of the responses (recording number of times a food was consumed and the time unit associated with that frequency) makes it possible to compare response categories even with different recall periods.

Prior to 2010, the survey question asked only about chocolate candy. Beginning in 2010, respondents were asked about chocolate or any other type of candy, excluding sugar-free candy.

Changes in survey design (e.g., quarters in which the supplement was collected) may affect raw frequencies, but do not affect comparability of the variable. As always, data users should use the prescribed IPUMS NHIS weights.

Universe

Availability

• 1987, 1992, 2010, 2015

Weights

• 1987, 1992, 2010, 2015 : SAMPWEIGHT