Description

For persons age 18+ who have at least one activity limitation (LANY), and for whom a musculoskeletal problem was reported as a condition causing any activity limitation (CLIMMUSCLE), CLIMMUSCLEMO reports the duration, in months, of the musculoskeletal problem.

Data on the duration of limiting musculoskeletal problem were collected via the question, "How long [have/has] [you/person] had [a musculoskeletal problem]?" Respondents could answer this open-ended question using the time unit of their choice (i.e., days, weeks, months, or years). The original responses to the question are reported in two complementary variables, CLIMMUSCLETP (which specifies the time unit) and CLIMMUSCLENO (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 (CLIMMUSCLEY) and groups of months (CLIMMUSCLEMO).

Comparability

Apart from a change in the coding of "unknown" cases, this variable is comparable across years.

Analysts can achieve comparability across all years by combining codes with a common first digit of 9 into a single "unknown" category.

Universe

Availability

• 1997-2018

Weights

• 1997-2018 : PERWEIGHT