Description
For sample adults who reported having "pain, aching, stiffness or swelling in or around a joint" during the past 12 months (JNTYR), JNTDAILY1MO reports responses to the question, "Were these symptoms present on most days for at least one month?"
The Field Representative's Manuals for 1997-2000 elaborated on this question as follows:
'Being present' means only that the Sample Adult had one or more of the symptoms, and does not imply any degree of suffering. For example, enter 'Yes' for the Sample Adult who had slight stiffness, as well as the Sample Adult who had debilitating pain. 'Most days' means more than half the days in any 1-month period during the past 12 months.
As the Manuals for 1997-2000 point out, unlike many other conditions asked about in the NHIS, "joint problems do not have to have been diagnosed by a doctor. Simply having the symptoms is enough."
