MEC Consent Brochure

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Overview
The National Health and Nutrition
Examination Survey (NHANES) is a
survey conducted by the National
Center for Health Statistics, part of
the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. We have designed the
survey to learn about the health and
diet of people in the United States.
Our survey is unique. It combines
a home interview with health
measurements, which we do in mobile units. These special mobile
centers travel across the country with a highly trained medical team.
Our team looks at special health topics. We use the most up-to-date
methods and equipment for medical and dental exams and other lab
tests.
Why is this health survey important?
We will use the data gathered in this
survey to find out the number of people
with certain health problems—for
example, diabetes and high blood
pressure. We will look at diet and
other habits that affect health, such as
smoking and exercise. NHANES data
will tell us the health and nutrition of
people of all ages. It will also help
design health programs and services,
and expand our knowledge about the
health of people in the United States.
What do I gain by taking part in the exam?
• Free health test results.
• The chance to help learn more about the health of the Nation.
• A token of thanks for your time and effort.
You may choose to be in the survey and you may allow your child to be
in it, too. That is your choice. There is no penalty if you refuse. You may
refuse any part of the exam and are free to drop out anytime. Also,
during the interviews you may choose not to answer every question.

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What will I be asked to do at the mobile center?

Upon arriving at the mobile center, you will be asked to
change into a two-piece examination outfit.
Our medical team will then guide you to private rooms
where we will check your:
Height and weight

Blood pressure

Hearing

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National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Teeth

We will collect blood and
urine samples

Body composition

And ask you questions about
what you eat

If your appointment is scheduled in the morning, we will ask you not
to eat or drink anything overnight. The health tests may take up to 4
hours. The time spent in the mobile center and the tests you receive will
be based on your age and current medical condition. (For a full list of
exams you may receive, see the Health Measurements List.)
Are the tests safe?
The tests are safe. Some tests may cause you slight discomfort.
Examples are having a blood sample taken or not eating for 9 hours.
For the blood sample, a person will have a small amount of blood
drawn from a vein in his or her arm with a needle. People 12 years and
older that have a morning exam will be asked to drink a sugary drink
and have blood taken a second time. Although rare, the sugary drink
can cause nausea, vomiting, bloating, or headache. We will not ask
you to have any test that is wrong for you because of a health problem
you have.
We will give a body composition test that involves low-dosage x-rays to
persons aged 8 and older. Radiation exposure during this test is equal
to a cross-country airline flight or a few days of natural background
radiation. But because the body composition scan involves x-rays, no
one who is pregnant should get this exam. We will get information
about periods from girls and women, and those who have started their
periods will have a urine pregnancy test. Those with a positive test will
not have the body composition scan.

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Medical errors and injuries are very rare. The NHANES program
cannot provide money or other compensation if they occur. However,
if you believe you have been harmed as a result of your participation
in NHANES, we want to know about it. Please call us at 1–800–
452–6115. You also have a right to file a claim under the Federal Tort
Claims Act with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We
can provide you with information about how to do so. You must file
the claim within two years after the date you became aware of the
personal injury, loss of property, or other damage.
Will you ask personal questions?
At the mobile center you will be asked some
personal questions. A trained interviewer will
ask some of these questions. Other questions,
like those about stages of body development
for children and teens, sexual behaviors, and
drug use, will be asked in complete privacy.
The interviewer will leave the room. The
questions will be on a computer screen. You
answer by touching an answer on the screen.
Like all of the other data we collect, the answers you give us are kept
strictly private. If you are under 18 years of age, we may notify your
parents if we have reason to believe you may harm yourself because of
sad feelings.
Will I get my results?
Yes, you will get a report of your results.
If the exam shows urgent health problems,
we will notify you at once and refer you for
treatment. If some urgent problem is found
through your lab tests, we will immediately
send that information in a letter to your
home address. If you wish, we will mail the
routine results to you about 3–4 months
after the exam. In general, we give results
only to the person examined or to the parents or guardians of children.
Some results, like those for sexually transmitted disease (STD) tests and
pregnancy tests, are not put in writing. We report positive pregnancy
test results only to the person tested if she is 14 years or older and
doesn’t already know she is pregnant. If a girl is younger than 14 and
has a positive pregnancy test, we will inform both her and her parent
or guardian. How we report STD test results is explained in the next
section.
Some tests are not reported because they will be used only for research
and are not used for medical care. Better ways to look at some of the
tests may be developed in the future. Some of the tests may be read
again. We will not report the results of future tests to you.
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National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

NHANES does not cover the cost of any health care you may decide
to get after the exam. If you have questions about getting your results,
please call 1–800–452–6115.
Will you test for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)?
Teenagers (14 years and older) and adults under 60 years will have
tests for STDs. We will not put these results in writing, but you can get
STD test results a few weeks after the exam.
Before you leave the mobile center, you will be given a toll-free number,
a password, and the dates to call for your results. Only you will get
your test results by calling in and telling us your password. Parents will
not be told their child’s STD test results. If your test results show that you
have a current health problem, we will talk with you about the results
and tell you how to get treatment. We will keep all STD test results
completely private, just like all other test results. If you do not want to be
tested, you can tell a staff member. For details on the tests, please see
the Health Measurements List.
Will my information be kept private?
We respect your privacy. Public laws keep all information you give
private.
These laws do not allow us to give out data that identifies you or your
family without your permission. This means that we cannot give out any
facts about you, even if a court of law asks for them. However, if we
find signs of child abuse during an exam, we will report it to the local
department of social services or the police.
We will keep all survey data safe and secure. When we share data
with our partners, we do so in a way that protects your privacy as
required and guaranteed by law. Our interviewer can provide you a list
of our partners if you wish to learn more.

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How are NHANES data used?
What you tell us, your exam results, and samples you give are a good
resource for health science. Many federal agencies, universities, and
other public and private groups use NHANES data. They use it to help
find new cures and treatments for diseases and disabilities. The aim is
to make the health of all people better. Results of this survey may be
reported in journals, at major scientific meetings, or through other news
media. None of these reports will ever name or use data that can point
to any person who took part in the survey.
NHANES has been used in important national reports. One of these
highlights the food we eat. Another tells us about the exposures we
have to chemicals in the environment. The survey has also been used
to track the number of people who are overweight or obese. Research
using NHANES can be found on our website, listed on the back of this
brochure.
Health research using NHANES can be enhanced by combining your
survey records with other data sources. An example is linking your
survey results with vital statistics and Medicare claims. To do this, we
will ask your permission to collect your Social Security and Medicare
numbers. As we told you before, we keep this information safe and
secure.
Also, we may need to contact you in the future. To do this we will ask
public or private agencies, such as the Post Office, to give us changes
to your address. In the past, we have had the chance to call or revisit
people who took part in this survey. We may contact you in the future
to ask you to be part of other research projects. Your participation in
future studies is voluntary.

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National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

More questions?
Our survey representative can discuss other
questions or concerns you might have or give
you printed material that can help you. She
or he can give you a phone number in your
area that you can call for more facts about
the survey.
Also, you can make a free call to Dr. Joseph
Woodring of the U.S. Public Health Service to
discuss any aspect of the survey.
He can be reached at 1–800–452–6115,
Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m. EST. You may also contact him
regarding any harm to you resulting from this survey. You can also
get answers to your questions by mail (Room 4323, 3311 Toledo Rd.,
Hyattsville, MD 20782).
You may have questions about your rights as a participant in this
research study. If so, please call the Research Ethics Review Board at
the National Center for Health Statistics, toll-free, at 1–800–223–8118.
Please leave a brief message with your name and phone number. Say
that you are calling about Protocol # 2011–17. Your call will be returned
as soon as possible.

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