Description

SPEECHDONOWC indicates whether the person now has a chronic speech defect other than stammering or stuttering. 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 SPEECHDONOWC) created from the pre-1997 condition records, see the User Note on Condition Records and Condition Variables.

Defining Speech Defect Records and Identifying Persons with a Speech Defect

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

For 1971 and for 1977 to 1981, chronic speech defect records were defined as those condition records with a code of "X11" ("Other speech defects except deaf-mutism and cleft palate speech") in the variable DIAGR1 in the original NHIS public use files. This condition code value comes from NCHS's Diagnostic Recode #1: Diseases, Injuries, and Impairments not from the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes. Additionally, to be considered "chronic," speech defect records must have a code of "1" ("Chronic") in the variable CACODE in the original NHIS public use files.

For 1982 to 1996, chronic speech defect records were defined as those condition records with a code of "206" ("Other speech impairments") 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 1971 and 1977, SPEECHDONOWC should be weighted with PERWEIGHT.

For 1978 to 1981, SPEECHDONOWC should be weighted with CONDWT4.

For 1982 to 1996, SPEECHDONOWC should be weighted with CONDWT2.

Comparability

As with all of the person-level condition variables created by IHIS from condition records prior to 1997, the universe for SPEECHDONOWC 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 currently having speech defect. There is also a minor universe change between the sets of years 1978-1981 and 1982-1996. These changes require that different weight variables be used depending on which years of data are analyzed. See the "Description" 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

• 1971, 1977-1996

Weights

• 1971, 1977 : PERWEIGHT
• 1982-1996 : CONDWT2
• 1978-1981 : CONDWT4