Description

HACHEFREQYRC indicates whether the person had chronic frequent headaches in the past year. This variable is created with supplemental programming by the IPUMS NHIS staff from the pre-1997 condition records. For general information about IHIS variables (such as HACHEFREQYRC) created from the pre-1997 condition records, see the User Note on Condition Records and Condition Variables.

Defining Headache Records and Identifying Persons with Frequent Headaches

For all available years, persons who were asked a direct question about having headaches and who have a chronic headaches condition record are given a "Yes" code for HACHEFREQYRC. Persons who were asked a direct question about having headaches but do not have a chronic headaches record are given a code of "No." Persons who were not asked a direct question about headaches, or for whom it is unknown whether they were asked such a question, are given a code of "NIU" (not in universe), regardless of whether they have a chronic headaches record.

For all available years (1984 to 1996), chronic headache records were defined as those condition records with a code of "407" ("Other [i.e., non-migraine] headache [excludes tension headache]") in the variable C1CONDRC in the original NHIS public use files. This condition code value comes from NCHS's Diagnostic Recode C: Chronic Conditions and Impairments.

Weights
For all available years (1984-1996), HACHEFREQYRC should be weighted with CONDWT4.

Related Headaches Variables
The nearest equivalents of HACHEFREQYRC for 1997 forward are HACHEREGYR (Had regular headaches, past 12 months) and FHEADYR (Had frequent headaches/migraines, past 12 months). However, researchers should use caution when comparing prevalence estimates derived from these variables, as the manner of collecting information about headaches differs greatly among them. HACHEFREQYRC was created by recoding condition records that were generated in response to several different survey questions about health problems underlying disability, sick days, or contacts with health care practitioners in the past year. HACHREGYR and FHEADYR, by contrast, are based on a direct question about whether the person had regular or frequent headaches.

Comparability

There are no comparability issues with HACHEFREQYRC.

Universe

Availability

• 1984-1996

Weights

• 1984-1996 : CONDWT4