Description

DITCON1HELP reports the degree of help that the respondent received from using a special diet to treat the most important health condition for which it was used. Please see the Comparability, Universe and Survey Text tabs for more information on changes in the variable over time.

This variable is part of the Alternative Health Supplements sponsored by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS). For information on the purpose of these supplements, along with a list of all modalities of alternative medicine that respondents could report using, a discussion of related acupuncture use variables, and definitions of special diets, see DITATKINYR.

For related variables and more information, please see TABDOM1, or use the search function or IPUMS NHIS drop-down menus.

Comparability

Changes in universe and question administration pose comparability challenges.

Prior to 2012, in universe persons were asked about a series of specific health problems, symptoms, or conditions they may have treated with different complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies.

Beginning in 2012, persons were instead asked to select three of sixteen therapies that were most important and only asked the series of questions related to treating health problems, symptoms, or conditions about these top three therapies. Persons who did not include special diets among their top three CAM therapies did not answer follow up questions for this therapy beginning in 2012 and are reported as responding no. For more detail on how the 2012 version of this variable was constructed, see TABDOM1.

Changes in universe also pose comparability challenges; in 2002, only sample adults were included in the universe. Beginning in 2012, however, sample adults and sample children are included in the universe.

Universe

Availability

• 2002, 2012

Weights

• 2002 : SAMPWEIGHT
• 2012 : SUPP4WT