DIAFTEXAMNO is a 3-digit-numeric variable.

0: Never
994: 994+ times
995: Unable to do this activity
996: Not in Universe
997: Unknown-refused
998: Unknown-not ascertained
999: Unknown-don't know

Description

For sample adults who were ever told by a doctor or other health professional that they had diabetes (other than during pregnancy) (DIABETICEV), DIAFTEXAMNO reports the number of (time) units sample adults stated when answering the open-ended question, "About how often do you check your feet for sores or irritations?" DIAFTEXAMNO must be interpreted in conjunction with DIAFTEXAMTP, which reports the time period stated in response to the same question. Interviewers accepted responses in terms of the number of times per day, per week, per month or per year that respondents checked their feet. Separate responses were recorded for those who never checked their feet and for those who indicated they were unable to do this type of activity.

According to the survey instrument, if the respondent reported checking more than 3 times per day, 28 times per week, 31 times per month, or 365 times per year, interviewers were prompted, "Number of times may be excessive for the time period reported. Please verify entry."

For the original NHIS public use data files, the National Center for Health Statistics also recoded these data into a single temporal unit--weeks--for DIAFTEXAMWK, which reports the number of times per week that sample adults diagnosed with diabetes checked their own feet for sores or irritations.

Other diabetes-related questions were periodically included in the survey; see DIABETICEV for a summary of these variables currently in the IPUMS NHIS.

Comparability

This variable is only available in 2003.

Universe

Availability

• 1989, 2003

Weights

• 1989 : PERWEIGHT
• 2003 : SAMPWEIGHT