SURVEY TITLE: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
ACRONYMN: NHANES III, NHANES 1999+
SPONSOR: National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States Department of Health and Human Services.
SURVEY PURPOSE: Designed to collect information about the health and diet of U.S. population.
LOCATION SAMPLED: United States.
YEARS SEXUAL ORIENTATION DATA COLLECTED: 1988-94 (NHANES III), 1999+ (NHANES 1999+)
SAMPLE SIZE:
NHANES III: 5,731 men asked relevant questions out of 39,695 total respondents.
NHANES 1999+: 6,500 subjects interviewed/year
METHOD OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION DATA COLLECTION:
NHANES III: Face-to-Face at the Mobile Examination Center
NHANES 1999+: Audio CASI
SEXUAL ORIENTATION QUESTIONS:
NHANES III:
The following questions are asked in the Reproductive Health Section of the questionnaire.
Asked of all male respondents age 17-59 years old:
F51. With how many different partners have you ever had sexual intercourse?
Asked of male respondents reporting at least one partner to question F51:
F54. How many partners have been female?
AND
F55. How many partners have been male?
NHANES 1999+:
The following questions are asked in the Sexual Behavior Section of the questionnaire.
Asked of all female respondents age 14-59 years old:
SXQ 100: In your lifetime, with how many men have you had sex?
AND
SXQ 120: In the past 12 months, with how many men have you had sex?
AND
SXQ 130: In your lifetime, with how many women have you had sex?
AND
SXQ 150: In the past 12 months, with how many women have you had sex?
Asked of all male respondents age 14-59 years old:
SXQ 170: In your lifetime, with how many women have you had sex?
AND
SXQ 190: In the past 12 months, with how many women have you had sex?
AND
SXQ 200: In your lifetime, with how many men have you had sex?
AND
SXQ 220: In the past 12 months, with how many men have you had sex?
Asked of female respondents age 18-59 years old:
SXQ 292: Do you think of yourself as… [Verbal Instructions to Respondent: Heterosexual or
straight (that is, sexually attracted only to men); homosexual or gay (that is, sexually
attracted only to women); bisexual (that is, sexually attracted to men and women); something
else; or you’re not sure?] heterosexual or straight (attracted to men), homosexual or lesbian
(attracted to women), bisexual (attracted to men and women), something else, or not sure?
Asked of male respondents age 18-59 years old:
SXQ 294: Do you think of yourself as… [Verbal Instructions to Respondent: Heterosexual or
straight (that is, sexually attracted only to women); homosexual or gay (that is, sexually
attracted only to men); bisexual (that is, sexually attracted to men and women); something
else; or you’re not sure?] heterosexual or straight (attracted to women), homosexual or gay
(attracted to men), bisexual (attracted to men and women), something else, or not sure?
RESULTS:
DATA ACCESS: www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes.htm
ACRONYMN: NHANES III, NHANES 1999+
SPONSOR: National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States Department of Health and Human Services.
SURVEY PURPOSE: Designed to collect information about the health and diet of U.S. population.
LOCATION SAMPLED: United States.
YEARS SEXUAL ORIENTATION DATA COLLECTED: 1988-94 (NHANES III), 1999+ (NHANES 1999+)
SAMPLE SIZE:
NHANES III: 5,731 men asked relevant questions out of 39,695 total respondents.
NHANES 1999+: 6,500 subjects interviewed/year
METHOD OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION DATA COLLECTION:
NHANES III: Face-to-Face at the Mobile Examination Center
NHANES 1999+: Audio CASI
SEXUAL ORIENTATION QUESTIONS:
NHANES III:
The following questions are asked in the Reproductive Health Section of the questionnaire.
Asked of all male respondents age 17-59 years old:
F51. With how many different partners have you ever had sexual intercourse?
Asked of male respondents reporting at least one partner to question F51:
F54. How many partners have been female?
AND
F55. How many partners have been male?
NHANES 1999+:
The following questions are asked in the Sexual Behavior Section of the questionnaire.
Asked of all female respondents age 14-59 years old:
SXQ 100: In your lifetime, with how many men have you had sex?
AND
SXQ 120: In the past 12 months, with how many men have you had sex?
AND
SXQ 130: In your lifetime, with how many women have you had sex?
AND
SXQ 150: In the past 12 months, with how many women have you had sex?
Asked of all male respondents age 14-59 years old:
SXQ 170: In your lifetime, with how many women have you had sex?
AND
SXQ 190: In the past 12 months, with how many women have you had sex?
AND
SXQ 200: In your lifetime, with how many men have you had sex?
AND
SXQ 220: In the past 12 months, with how many men have you had sex?
Asked of female respondents age 18-59 years old:
SXQ 292: Do you think of yourself as… [Verbal Instructions to Respondent: Heterosexual or
straight (that is, sexually attracted only to men); homosexual or gay (that is, sexually
attracted only to women); bisexual (that is, sexually attracted to men and women); something
else; or you’re not sure?] heterosexual or straight (attracted to men), homosexual or lesbian
(attracted to women), bisexual (attracted to men and women), something else, or not sure?
Asked of male respondents age 18-59 years old:
SXQ 294: Do you think of yourself as… [Verbal Instructions to Respondent: Heterosexual or
straight (that is, sexually attracted only to women); homosexual or gay (that is, sexually
attracted only to men); bisexual (that is, sexually attracted to men and women); something
else; or you’re not sure?] heterosexual or straight (attracted to women), homosexual or gay
(attracted to men), bisexual (attracted to men and women), something else, or not sure?
RESULTS:
- Cochran SD, Mays VM. Lifetime prevalence of suicide symptoms and affective disorders among men reporting same-sex sexual partners: results from NHANES III. Am J Public Health. 2000 Apr;90(4):573-8. OBJECTIVES: This study examined lifetime prevalence of suicide symptoms and affective disorders among men reporting a history of same-sex sexual partners. METHODS: In the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, men aged 17 to 39 years were assessed for lifetime history of affective disorders and sexual behavior patterns. The study classified this subset of men into 3 groups: those reporting same-sex sexual partners, those reporting only female sexual partners, and those reporting no sexual partners. Groups were compared for histories of suicide symptoms and affective disorders. RESULTS: A total of 2.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.3%, 3.1%) of men reported same-sex sexual partners. These men evidenced greater lifetime prevalence rates of suicide symptoms than men reporting only female partners. However, homosexually/bisexually experienced men were no more likely than exclusively heterosexual men to meet criteria for lifetime diagnosis of other affective disorders. CONCLUSIONS: These data provide further evidence of an increased risk for suicide symptoms among homosexually experienced men. Results also hint at a small, increased risk of recurrent depression among gay men, with symptom onset occurring, on average, during early adolescence.
DATA ACCESS: www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes.htm