Key Concepts About Finding the Analytic and Reporting Guidelines

One of the most important documents to read before any analysis of NHANES data is the Analytic and Reporting Guidelines. These guidelines have very useful and pertinent information about the survey and the data, including (but not limited to) summary recommendations about

• using documentation,
• accounting for the complex survey design and weighting,
• using proper variance estimation procedures, and
• determining the minimum sample size required for an analysis

This document presents analytic and reporting guidelines that should be used for NHANES data analyses and publications. The suggested guidelines provide a framework to users for producing estimates that conform to the analytic design of the survey. The Analytic and Reporting Guidelines represents the latest information from the National Center for Health Statistics on recommended approaches for analysis of all NHANES data, but with a particular focus on data collected in the continuous NHANES (since 1999).

IMPORTANT NOTE

More in-depth application of the use of the Analytic and Reporting Guidelines are detailed throughout the Sampling, Weighting, and Analyzing modules.

Previous Versions of the Analytic and Reporting Guidelines

These previous versions of NHANES analytic guidelines can still be used

• the NHANES III Analytic Guidelines;

• the NHANES 1999-2000 Addendum to the NHANES III Analytic Guidelines; and

• the June 2004 Analytic Guidelines.

These previous version of the analytic guidelines will be modified and updated on a periodic basis as new information is acquired and as new statistical techniques for analysis of complex sample surveys are introduced.