Description

DITUSMEDFAIL indicates whether the person used a special diet because conventional medical treatments didn't help. . Please see the Comparability, Universe, and Survey Text Tabs for information on changes in the variable over time.

For information about the full range of variables related to special diets, including definitions, see DITATKINYR. For related variables and more information, please see TABDOM1, or use the search function or IPUMS NHIS drop-down menus.

Comparability

Prior to 2012, sample adults who had used a special diet during the past 12 months and, in 2002, had used a special diet for two weeks or more for health reasons or for a specific health problem or condition, were asked their reasons for using the special diet.

Beginning in 2012, sample adults and sample children were instead asked to select three of sixteen therapies that were most important and only asked the series of questions related to treating health problems, symptoms, or conditions as well as reasons for and importance of use for these top three therapies. Persons who did not include a special diet among their top three CAM therapies did not answer follow up questions for this therapy beginning in 2012 and are reported as responding "no".

Universe

Availability

• 2002, 2007, 2012

Weights

• 2002, 2007 : SAMPWEIGHT
• 2012 : SUPP4WT