Description

For sample adults and sample children in 2007 who had taken one or more herbal supplements during the past 30 days (HERMO) and had taken the first herbal supplement to treat a specific health problem or condition (HER1TREAT), HER1TRET indicates whether the person had used an herbal supplement to treat mental retardation.

Mental retardation was one of 30 possible specific conditions that both sample adults and sample children could report treating with herbal supplements. The other such conditions are:

• attention deficit disorder (HER1TADD)

• anxiety (HER1TANX)

• arthritis (HER1TARTH)

• asthma (HER1TASTH)

• autism (HER1TAUT)

• cancer (HER1TCANC)

• head or chest cold (HER1TCOLD)

• constipation needing medication (HER1TCONST)

• depression (HER1TDEPRES)

• diabetes (HER1TDIAB)

• influenza or pneumonia (HER1TFLU)

• gum disease (HER1TGUM)

• hay fever (HER1THAY)

• hearing problem (HER1THEAR)

• insomnia (HER1TINSOM)

• menstrual problems (HER1TMENST)

• migraine or severe headache (HER1TMIG)

• other developmental problem (HER1TODD)

• other lung or breathing problem (HER1TOLUNG)

• other musculoskeletal problem (HER1TOMUSC)

• phobias (HER1TPHOBIA)

• acid reflux (HER1TREFLUX)

• regular headaches (HER1TREGHEAD)

• seizures (HER1TSEIZ)

• sinusitis (HER1TSINUS)

• urinary problem (HER1TURIN)

• vision problem (HER1TVISION)

• weight problem (HER1TWEIGHT)

• other (HER1TOTH1)

Additionally, there are 57 other conditions sample adults only could report treating with herbal supplements, and 29 other conditions that could be reported for sample children only. For the full list of conditions, see HER1TREAT.

Persons taking more than one herbal supplement during the past 30 days were also asked whether their second herbal supplement was used to treat a specific problem or condition (HER2TREAT) and, if so, what was that condition. Similarly, persons taking vitamin supplements during the past 30 days (VITMO) were asked whether those vitamin supplements were used to treat a specific condition (see VIT1TREAT and VIT2TREAT).

HER1MOST reports the specific first herbal supplement (out of 45 possible herbs) that was taken most often by the respondent. Analysts interested in the treatment of mental retardation by other herbal or vitamin supplements should see the related variables HER2TRET, VIT1TRET, and VIT2TRET. The corresponding variables HER2MOST, VIT1MOST, and VIT2MOST indicate which herbal or vitamin supplement was taken.

Sample adults, but not sample children, were also asked about their use of herbal supplements to prevent (rather than to treat) health problems or conditions (HER1PREV and HER2PREV). Researchers interested in the use of herbal supplements to prevent mental retardation should see HER1PRET and HER2PRET. For more information on the full range of variables related to the use of herbal supplements, see HERMO.

Comparability

HER1TRET is only available for 2007.

Universe

Availability

• 2007, 2012

Weights

• 2007 : SAMPWEIGHT
• 2012 : SUPP4WT