Codes and Frequencies
Description
For sample adults, DIETCHANGEV indicates if the person ever made any lasting and major changes in what she/he eats and drinks for health reasons.
DIETCHANGEV was introduced in 1987 as part of a series of variables related to food, food knowledge, and cancer. For more information please use the IPUMS NHIS search function and drop-down menus.
Related Variables
Sample persons were asked about when they made these changes.
- DIETCHANGYR: within the past year
- DIETCHANG5Y: within the past 5 years
Among persons who reported dietary change, possible changes included:
- FOODLESS1: First food of which the person ate less
- FOODLESS2: Second food of which the person ate less
- FOODLESS3: Third food of which the person ate less
- FOODLESS4: Fourth food of which the person ate less
- FOODMORE1: First food of which the person ate more
- FOODMORE2: Second food of which the person ate more
- FOODMORE3: Third food of which the person ate more
- FOODMORE4: Fourth food of which the person ate more
Changes among persons in cooking methods (COOKCHAN) include:
- COOKCHABAKE: Baking
- COOKCHABOIL: Boiling
- COOKCHABROIL: Broiling
- COOKCHASTEAM: Steaming
- COOKCHAFRY: Frying
- COOKCHAWOK: Stir-frying/wok
- COOKCHASAUTE: Sautéing
- COOKCHAGRILL: Grilling/barbecuing
- COOKCHASALT: Salting
- COOKCHAMICRO: Microwaving
- COOKCHAPRESSR: Pressure-cooking
- COOKCHASTIK: Using non-stick pans
- COOKCHAOTHER: Other changes in cooking
Persons were also asked about reasons for not changing diet. These include:
- NOCHALLBAD: Everything is bad for you, so why bother changing
- NOCHCOST : Making dietary changes would be expensive
- NOCHEALTHY: Current diet is healthy
- NOCHEATOUT: Eat out so often that changes would be hard
- NOCHENJOY: Enjoys current diet and does not want to change
- NOCHFAM : Family will not change diet
- NOCHRECS: So many different recommendations; unsure which to follow
Persons who believed that diet is related to disease (EHDEFFECT) were asked several questions about diet and disease.
Major diseases that persons thought that may be related to diet include:
- Cancer (EHDCANCER)
- Heart disease (EHDHEART)
- Obesity/Overweight (EHDOBESE)
- Diabetes (EHDDIABET)
- Hypertension or high blood pressure (EHDHYPER)
- Ulcers or other, non-cancerous digestive problems (EHDIGEST)
- Other diseases (EHDOTHER)
- None of these diseases (EHDANY)
In addition to their thoughts about diet and disease, persons were also asked about anything they had heard or read about how diet relates to major diseases. Responses included:
- Cancer (EHDCANCERHER)
- Heart Disease (EHDHEARTHER)
- Obesity/Overweight (EHDOBESEHER)
- Diabetes (EHDDIABETHER)
- Hypertension or high blood pressure (EHDHYPERHER)
- Other diseases (EHDOTHERHER)
- None of these diseases (EHDTYPEHER)
Persons who thought cancer might be related to diet were asked what types of cancer they thought might be related to diet. Response categories include:
- All types of cancer (EHDCANALL)
- Breast cancer (EHDCANBRES)
- Bladder cancer (EHDCANBLAD)
- Cancer of the mouth/throat/esophagus (EHDCANESOP)
- Cancer of the colon/bowel/intestine/rectum (EHDCANBOWL)
- Stomach cancer (EHDCANSTOM)
- Prostate cancer (EHDCANPROS)
- Cancer of the uterus (EHDCANUTER)
- Lung cancer (EHDCANLUNG)
- Liver cancer (EHDCANLIVR)
- Other kind of cancer (EHDCANOTHR)
- One or more types of cancer (EHDCANTYPE)
Persons who thought major disease and/or cancer might be related to diet were asked about people should eat or drink more of to help prevent cancer. Response categories include:
- FOODSHLESS1: First food of which people should eat less
- FOODSHLESS2 : Second food of which people should eat less
- FOODSHLESS3: Third food of which people should eat less
- FOODSHLESS4: Fourth food of which people should eat less
- FOODSHMORE1: First food of which people should eat more
- FOODSHMORE2 : Second food of which people should eat more
- FOODSHMORE3: Third food of which people should eat more
- FOODSHMORE4: Fourth food of which people should eat more
Persons were asked about fat, fiber, and their own diets.
Persons were asked if they had heard of fiber (EHEARFIBER), and how high their own diet was in fiber (EHFIBERANK). They were also asked whether they thought the following food items are high in fiber:
- Bran flakes (EHFIBBFLAK)
- Corn flakes (EHFIBCFLAK)
- Hamburgers (EHFIBBURG)
- Lettuce (EHFIBLET)
- Baked beans (EHFIBBEAN)
- Carrots (EHFIBCAR)
- Raw apples (EHFIBAPP)
- White Rice (EHFIBRICE)
- None (EHFIBTYPE)
Persons were to rank how high their diet was in fat (EHFATRANK). They were also asked whether they thought the following food items are high in fat:
- Fried chicken (EHFATFCHIK)
- White bread (EHFATBRED)
- Soda or soft drinks (EHFATSODA)
- Peanut butter (EHFATPB)
- Broiled fish (EHFATBFISH)
- Bananas (EHFATBANA)
- Cold cuts or lunch meat (EHFATCUTS)
- Doughnuts (EHFATDNUT)
- None (EHFATTYPE)
Persons were also asked about their own diet and priorities. These questions included identifying important concerns for the person's own diet:
- Avoiding too much salt or sodium (EHAVOIDSALT)
- Avoiding too much sugar (EHAVOIDSUGAR)
- Lowering cholesterol (EHLOWCHOL)
- Having enough money to buy food (EHFOODBUCKS)
- Being overweight (WTOVERCARE)
- Being too thin (WTUNDERCARE)
Universe
- 1987: Sample persons age 18+.
Availability
- 1987
Weights
- 1987 : SAMPWEIGHT