The 1968-1996 Field Representative's Manuals characterize "usual activities" as follows:

In those cases where the "usual activity" was difficult to determine, interviewers were instructed to "accept the respondent's view of what he himself considers to be his usual activities." For example, interviewers were instructed to accept "working" as a usual activity, even if reported by a person having a heart condition that prevented any work for a year or more.

As noted above, RADAY2WKRSID reports specifically on usual activities "cut down" by "as much as a day." These are referred to as "cut down days." The 1968-1996 Field Representative's Manuals characterize "cut down" as follows:

The 1968-1981 Field Representative's Manuals state that the meaning of the expression "for as much as a day" is "the whole of that day." Thus, for 1968-1981, the Field Representative's Manuals characterize a cut down day as:

Although the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) intended "cut down day" to mean, in 1968-1981, cutting down on activities for the whole day [the entire day] on account of an illness or injury, the 1968-1981 survey questions asked about activities cut down for as much as a day on account of an illness or injury. This possible tension between the intention of the NCHS, and the wording of the 1968-1981 survey questions was resolved, beginning in 1982, with a rewording of the survey question:

Thus, as noted in The National Health Interview Survey Design, 1973-84, and Procedures, 1975-83, starting in 1982, the concept of a cut down day meaning more than half a day was directly communicated to the respondent in the survey questions asked.

Reflecting this change in the survey question, the 1982-1996 Field Representative's Manuals define a cut down day as:

• If the respondent did not report any "bed days" (BDDAY2WK) or "school-loss days" (SLDAY2WK) or "work-loss days in the past two weeks" (WLDAY2WK), then interviewers asked, "Were there any days in the past two weeks that [person] had to cut down on the things he usually does because of illness or injury?"

• If the respondent reported one or more bed days in the past two weeks (BDDAY2WK), but neither school-loss days (SLDAY2WK) nor work-loss days (WLDAY2WK) in the past two weeks, then interviewers asked, "NOT COUNTING the days in bed, were there any days in the past two weeks that [person] had to cut down on the things he usually does because of an illness or injury?"

• If the respondent reported one or more bed days in the past two weeks (BDDAY2WK) and one or more school-loss days in the past two weeks (SLDAY2WK), but not any work-loss days in the past two weeks (WLDAY2WK), then interviewers asked, "NOT COUNTING the days in bed and days lost from school, were there any days in the past two weeks that [person] had to cut down on the things he usually does because of an illness or injury?"

• If the respondent reported one or more bed days in the past two weeks (BDDAY2WK), and both one or more school-loss days (SLDAY2WK) and one or more work-loss days in the past two weeks (WLDAY2WK), then interviewers asked, "NOT COUNTING the days in bed, the school-loss days and the work-loss days, were there any days in the past two weeks that [person] had to cut down on the things he usually does because of an illness or injury?"