Description

RETNOWC indicates whether the person now has chronic mental retardation. The variable is created with supplemental programming by the IPUMS NHIS staff from the pre-1997 condition records. For general information about the IHIS variables created from the pre-1997 condition records, see the User Note on Condition Records and Condition Variables.

For all available years, persons who were asked a direct question about mental retardation and who have a chronic mental retardation condition record are given a "Yes" code for RETNOWC. Persons who were asked a direct question about mental retardation but do not have a chronic mental retardation record are given a code of "No."

For 1982-1996, persons who were not asked a direct question about mental retardation, or for whom it is unknown whether they were asked such a question, are given a code of "NIU" (not in universe), regardless of whether they have a chronic mental retardation record. Earlier samples include composite coding that further specify if the "Yes" code was reported in direct response to a condition question, or if it was indirectly reported in response to a non-condition survey question.

For 1971 and 1977-1978, mental retardation records were defined as those condition records with codes of 294-298 in the variable DIAGR1 in the original NHIS public use files. This condition code value comes from NCHS's Diagnostic Recode #1: Diseases, Injuries, and Impairments. Additionally, to be considered "chronic," mental retardation condition records must have a code of "1" ("Chronic") in the variable CACODE in the original NHIS public use files.

For 1979-1981, mental retardation records were defined as those condition records with a code of 292 in the variable DIAGR1 in the original NHIS public use files. This condition code value comes from NCHS's Diagnostic Recode #1: Diseases, Injuries, and Impairments. As with earlier years, to be considered "chronic," mental retardation condition records must have a code of "1" ("Chronic") in the variable CACODE in the original NHIS public use files.

For 1982-1996, chronic scoliosis records were defined as those condition records with a code of 218 in the variable C1CONDRB in the original NHIS public use files. This condition code value comes from NCHS's Diagnostic Recode B: Chronic Conditions and Impairments.

Comparability

As with all of the person-level condition variables created by IHIS from condition records prior to 1997, the universe for RETNOWC is substantially different for 1978 forward than it is for years prior to 1978. Beginning in 1978, only persons living in 1/6 of households, rather than all persons, were asked a direct question about currently having mental retardation. This change requires that different weight variables be used depending on which years of data are analyzed. See the "Weights" tab for details.

Additionally, there is a change in the way "Yes" responses are coded over time. See the User Note on Condition Records and Condition Variables for details about the composite coding scheme employed by IHIS.

Universe

Availability

• 1971, 1977-1996

Weights

• 1971, 1977 : PERWEIGHT
• 1982-1996 : CONDWT2
• 1978-1981 : CONDWT4