Description

PARALANYNOWC indicates whether the person now has any chronic paralysis. 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 PARALANYNOWC) created from the pre-1997 condition records, see the User Note on Condition Records and Condition Variables.

Defining Paralysis Records and Identifying Persons with Paralysis

For all available years, persons who were asked a direct question about paralysis and who have a chronic paralysis condition record are given a "Yes" code for PARALANYNOWC. Persons who were asked a direct question about paralysis but do not have a chronic paralysis record are given a code of "No." Persons who were not asked a direct question about paralysis, 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 paralysis record.

For 1969, 1971, and 1976-1981, chronic paralysis records were defined as those condition records with a code of "45" ("Paralysis") in the variable DIAGR3 in the original NHIS public use files. This condition code value comes from NCHS's Diagnostic Recode #3: Chronic Diseases and Impairments.

For 1982-1996, chronic paralysis records were defined as those condition records with a code of "219" through "227" ("Paralysis") in the variable C1CONDRC in the original NHIS public use files. These condition code values come from NCHS's Diagnostic Recode C: Chronic Conditions and Impairments.

Comparability

As with all of the person-level condition variables created by IHIS from condition records prior to 1997, the universe for PARALANYNOWC is substantially different for 1978 forward than it is for years prior to 1978. Beginning in 1978, only persons living in 1/6 of households, rather than all persons, were asked a direct question about now having paralysis. This change requires that different weight variables be used depending on which years of data are analyzed. See the "Weights" tab for details.

Additionally, there is a change in the way "Yes" responses are coded over time. See the User Note on Condition Records and Condition Variables for details about the composite coding scheme employed by IHIS.

Universe

Availability

• 1969, 1971, 1976-1996

Weights

• 1969, 1971, 1976-1977 : PERWEIGHT
• 1978-1996 : PARALWT