Key Concepts about Identifying Physical Activity Monitor Variables and File Locations

NHANES data files are organized into four categories:

• Demographics files contain survey design variables, such as sample weights, strata, and primary sampling units, as well as demographic characteristics, such as sex, age, and race.
• Examination files contain information collected through interviews in the mobile exam center and physical exams (including anthropometric and physical activity data, dental exams, and 24-hour dietary recall interviews).
• Laboratory files contain results from analyses of blood, urine, hair, tuberculin skin test, air, and household dust and water specimens.
• Questionnaire files contain data collected through household and Mobile Examination Center (MEC) interviews.

Physical activity monitor variables are included in the PAXRAW data files, which are stored in the Examination section for each 2-year cycle of the continuous NHANES.

The PAXRAW files include variables related to the motion data collected with the physical activity monitor.