The Field Representative's Manual defined "routine or preventive care" as "a health procedure or series of health procedures done to help a person avoid illness or to detect problems early" (for 1997) or as "a doctor visit or health procedure to prevent illness or to detect problems early, such as immunization or a physical exam" (for 1998 forward).

The Manual consistently defined "a general physical exam or check-up" as "an examination not for a specific condition or problem. This may include the following: a periodic health examination, a complete medical examination, an annual health check-up or a comprehensive physical examination. It does NOT include dental exams and vision tests." These definitions were not routinely shared with respondents.

The question was asked if any of the following criteria were satisfied:

• (1) USUALPL (whether the sample adult or sample child had a place (or more than one place) that they usually went when they were sick or needed advice about their health) is not coded as either "Yes" (2), or "More than one place" (3).

• (2) TYPPLSICK (the type of place sample adults and sample children usually went when they were sick or needed advice about their health) is coded as either "Unknown-Refused" (97), "Unknown-not ascertained" (98), or "Unknown-don't know" (99).

• (3) ROUTCARE (whether the place that the sample adult and sample child usually went for routine or preventive care was the same place that they usually went when sick or when they needed advice about their health) is not coded as "Yes" (2).

However, because of the interrelationships between these variables, the question associated with PLACECAR is asked whenever ROUTCARE is not coded as "Yes" (i.e., the place where the sample adult/child usually went for routine or preventive care was not the same place where they usually went when sick or needed advice about their health).