Spirometry, which means "the measuring of breath," is a routinely used pulmonary function test (PFT) that measures the amount and speed of air that a person can inhale and exhale. Results from the test can be used to estimate lung function and aid in the diagnosis of certain respiratory disorders. The current NHANES spirometry component is sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Health Statistics (CDC/NCHS), the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The objective of...

Exhaled nitric oxide (ENO) provides a measure of airway inflammation, a factor in the causal pathway of asthma and possibly other lung diseases. A current estimate of the prevalence of asthma in the United States varies between 4-10 percent. 1] Starting in 2007, NHANES will collect pulmonary function examination data to determine the prevalence of obstructive airway diseases in older children and adults. The new component, Respiratory Health (RH), will include an assessment of lung function testing, or spirometry, and a measurement of ENO. ENO is always performed before spirometry because...

Spirometry was previously performed in NHANES III and is being implemented again in the current NHANES (2007-8). Spirometry is the physical measurement of lung-expired air volumes and air flow rates. It is an adjunct diagnostic test, which aids in the diagnosis of chronic lung disease, but by itself, it is not sufficient to make a diagnosis of any specific condition. Spirometric data, however, is useful in population-based studies as an indirect indicator of chronic lung disease, and important knowledge of the natural history of chronic lung disease comes from studies such as NHANES III. For...

The National Health Survey Act, passed in 1956, provided the legislation authorizing for a survey to provide current statistical data on the amount, distribution, and effects of illness and disability in the United States. NHANES was created to fulfill the purpose of this act. The NHANES 99 for 2004 was the eighth in a series of national examination studies conducted in the United States since 1960, but effective in 2005, NHANES has become a continuous field survey with year-round data collection. To fulfill the purposes of this act, it was recognized that data collection would involve at...

In October 2008, the Federal Government issued its first-ever Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans to provide science-based guidance on the types and amounts of physical activity that provide substantial health benefits for Americans. (2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans). The Guidelines state that "Being physically active is one of the most important steps that Americans of all ages can take to improve their health." It goes on to say that "Children and adolescents should do 60 minutes (1 hour) or more of physical activity daily" AND ..".adults should do at least 150...

The 2013-14 Oral Health Component of NHANES is sponsored by the following organizations: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP)/Division of Oral Health (DOH); The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR); and The CDC/National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). This component was developed by the DOH, NIDCR, and the NCHS. Some elements of the oral health component benefited from external collaboration. The periodontal assessment and questionnaire, were developed in collaboration...

The leading causes of visual impairment in the United States are primarily age-related eye diseases including cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration. More than 3.4 million Americans aged 40 years and older are either blind or are visually impaired. Although it is believed that half of all blindness can be prevented, the number of people with blindness continues to increase in the United States. Unfortunately, scant data exist for national estimates and trends, and current estimates are based on data that are 25 years old and not nationally...

The vision examination is designed to test distance vision, measure refractive error, measure the shape of the cornea and, if applicable, measure the distance eyeglass prescription in SP's aged 12 years and older. Near vision will be tested in SPs over 50 years of age. Vision loss is common in adults and prevalence increases with advancing age. Approximately 13 percent of individuals 65 years of age or older and 28 percent of those over 85 years of age report some degree of visual impairment. In children, refractive errors are the most common vision disorders, occurring in 20 percent by 16...

The Specimen Collection component consists of two sections, hair collection and nasal swab collection. The MEC coordinator assigns a SP (sample person) to the specimen collection/balance room. The health technician logs onto the specimen collection application and logs the SP into the component. The ISIS system presents the correct section screens according to the SPs person type, age, and gender. Primary male and female SPs ages 1-5 and females ages 16-49 are eligible for hair collection. Primary, home exam, and second exam SPs age 1+ are eligible for nasal swab collection. Health...

The ability to maintain balance is essential to nearly all activities associated with daily living. The balance system enables us to sense where we are in space and to maintain our posture and equilibrium while we are still and while we are in movement. We often do not consider balance as a "sense" in the same way that we think of seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and so on, because balance is usually an automatic, unconscious process. However, impairment of the balance system can be a major disabling condition for those who are affected. The control of balance requires the integration of...