Description

For sample adults age 18+ who have at least one functional activity limitation (FLANY), and for whom a mental retardation was reported as a condition causing any functional activity limitation (FLRET), FLRETY reports the duration, in years, of the mental retardation.

Data on the duration of limiting mental retardation were collected via the question, "How long have you had [a mental retardation]?" Respondents could answer this open-ended question using the time unit of their choice (i.e., days, weeks, months, years, or since birth). The original responses to the question are reported in two complementary variables, FLRETTP (which specifies the time unit) and FLRETNO (which reports the number of such units). For the NHIS public use files, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) recoded the results from these two variables to create two other variables using standard time units: years (FLRETY) and groups of months (FLRETMO).

Comparability

FLRETY is completely comparable for 2002-2010.

Beginning in 2011, the phrase "mental retardation" was replaced with the phrase "intellectual disability, also known as mental retardation" in the survey question associated with FLRETY. Apart from this change in wording, the variable is completely comparable for 2002 forward.

Additionally, there is a change in the coding of "unknown" cases for FLRETY, beginning in 2002.

Analysts can achieve comparability across all years by combining codes for values of 96 and above into a single "unknown" category.

Universe

Availability

• 1997-2018

Weights

• 1997-2018 : SAMPWEIGHT