Assessing Physical Fitness and Physical Activity in Population-Based Surveys

摘要

The paper provides background information about the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and describes its population-based survey program, including recent and expected changes in the program. The first part of the paper describes general aspects of survey planning, data collection and processing, and data release. Next, each of the population-based surveys is described. These surveys are the National Health Interview Survey, the National Medical Care Utilization and Expenditure Survey, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), the first NHANES (NHANES I) Epidemiologic Follow-up Survey, and the National Survey of Family Growth. Finally, there is a discussion of recent and potential changes in the NCHS survey program. These changes include an integrated survey design through which the samples for other NCHS population-based surveys are linked to that of the National Health Interview Survey, the capability to conduct random-digit-dialed telephone surveys, and the ability to use the National Death Index to determine the fact and cause of death for individuals to NCHS surveys.