Description

For sample adults who had "pain, aching, stiffness or swelling in or around a joint" during the past 12 months (JNTYR), and for whom these joint symptoms began due to an injury (JNTINJURY), JNTINJURYNO reports answers to the question, "How many weeks or months, in the past year, did you have joint symptoms due to an injury?"

JNTINJURYNO must be interpreted in conjunction with JNTINJURYTP, which reports the time period (weeks or months) stated in response to the same question. Thus, for example, if INJURYTP has IPUMS NHIS code "1" (indicating weeks as the time unit) and JNTINJURYNO has IHIS code 6 (indicating the numeric frequency of the time unit), the meaning of the two variables together is "6 weeks." In contrast, if JNTINJURYTP has IHIS code "2" (indicating months as the time unit) and JNTINJURYNO has IHIS code 6 (indicating the numeric frequency of the time unit), the meaning of the two variables together is "6 months."

For this question, the Field Representative's Manuals for 1997-2000 told interviewers, "Probe to determine a more exact number of weeks or months. If an exact number cannot be reported, enter the sample adult's best estimate."

For the original NHIS public use data files, the National Center for Health Statistics recoded the data included in JNTINJURYTP and JNTINJURYNO into a third variable with a single time period, JNTINJURYMO, which indicates the duration of the injury-caused joint symptoms in months.

Comparability

This variable is completely comparable over time.

Universe

Availability

• 1997-2001

Weights

• 1997-2001 : SAMPWEIGHT