Nonresponse Letters

Attachment 11c
Nonresponse Letters

A.Screening Nonresponse Letter ....................................................... 11c-2
B.Interview Nonresponse Letter ........................................................ 11c-4
C.MEC Nonresponse Letter .............................................................. 11c-6

11c-1

11c-A

{DATE}

{ADDRESSEE NAME}
{STREET MAILING ADDRESS}
{CITY, STATE ZIP}

Dear {CITY} Resident:
We recently visited to tell you that your home was selected to be part of the National Health and
Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in {CITY}. {You said you were unsure about answering the
survey questions.} {Unfortunately, we have been unable to reach you.}
We hope that you or others in your home can be a part of NHANES. For more than 60 years, the
study has helped doctors and researchers understand—and improve—the health and nutrition of
people in the United States.
If you are eligible to take part in the study, you can choose which questions you want to answer. Your
answers will be confidential. We will not share your information. You can decide to drop out at any
time.
As part of NHANES, eligible participants also get a free health exam. The results of this exam can be
shared with your doctor. To show our thanks, each eligible family member who completes the exam
gets between {$MINIMUM MEC INCENTIVE} and {$MAXIMUM MEC INCENTIVE}, depending on
their age.
NHANES will be in {CITY} only until {STAND END DATE}, so we will visit again soon. If you are busy,
we can come back at a time that works for you.
If you have questions or would like to schedule a convenient time for us to visit, please call our office
toll free at 800-344-1386. For more information on NHANES, visit www.cdc.gov/NHANES.
(You can also use your smartphone to scan the QR code at the right.)
Thank you,

Peggy Collins
National Field Manager

11c-2

Some Common Questions about NHANES

Why did you pick my household?
We want everyone to have an equal chance of being in the survey.
•

We can’t go to every household in the United States, so we randomly choose homes
to visit.

•

We ask about the people in your home so we can include people of different ages.

•

We want our information to reflect the many different types of people and homes in
the United States.

You have the chance to represent thousands of other people in the United States like you!

Why is NHANES important?
NHANES has collected vital health and nutrition information for more than 60 years.
We learned from NHANES:
•

That monitoring cholesterol and blood pressure helps us understand the heart health
of the nation.

•

That a chemical caused babies to be born too small, leading companies to stop
using it.

•

What normal growth rates are for children, so we could develop the growth charts used
by pediatricians.

How long will this take?
For this first step, the questions take only a few minutes.

Assurance of Confidentiality – We take your privacy very seriously. All information that relates to or describes identifiable characteristics of
individuals, a practice, or an establishment will be used only for statistical purposes. NCHS staff, contractors, and agents will not disclose or
release responses in identifiable form without the consent of the individual or establishment in accordance with section 308(d) of the Public
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 242m(d)) and the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act or CIPSEA (44 U.S.C. 35613583). In accordance with CIPSEA, every NCHS employee, contractor, and agent has taken an oath and is subject to a jail term of up to five
years, a fine of up to $250,000, or both if he or she willfully discloses ANY identifiable information about you. In addition to the above cited laws,
NCHS complies with the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015 (6 U.S.C. §§ 151 and 151 note) which protects Federal information
systems from cybersecurity risks by screening their networks.

11c-3

11c-B

{DATE}

{ADDRESSEE NAME}
{STREET MAILING ADDRESS}
{CITY, STATE ZIP}
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please Read

Dear {SP FIRST NAME/PARENT OF SP FIRST NAME}:
Congratulations on {BLANK/{SP NAME}/your family} being selected into the National Health and
Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)! We hope you decide to take part in this unique opportunity to
improve people’s health.
Your next step is to complete an interview asking about your {BLANK/{SP NAME}’s/your family’s}
health and eating habits. As a thank you for your time, {you will receive {$HH INCENTIVE} after
you complete the interview/each family member who completes the interview will receive
{$HH INCENTIVE}}.

What’s Next
Initial
Screener

In-Home
Interview

Free Health Exam

Dietary Phone
Interview 1

Dietary Phone
Interview 2
Complete!

{$HH Incentive} Token of Thanks

{$MEC Incentive Range}
Token of Thanks

{$DI Incentive} Token of Thanks

{$DI Incentive} Token of Thanks

The information from your {your/{SP NAME}’s/your family’s} interview{s} will help doctors and
researchers better understand—and improve—{people/children}’s health in the United States. That is
why your participation is so important.
NHANES will be in {CITY} only until {STAND END DATE}, so we will visit again soon. If you have
questions, please call us toll-free at 800-344-1386 or visit www.cdc.gov/NHANES.
Thank you for your time and consideration!

Peggy Collins
National Field Manager

407

{LETTER CONTROL ID}

11c-4

Some Common Questions about NHANES

Why was {I/my family/my child} selected?
{You were/Your family was/Your child was} randomly chosen from {CITY} to take part in this national
study to represent up to 60,000 other people like {you/your family/your child}. 
Each year, only 5,000 people are chosen to take part in NHANES from just a few communities in
the United States. We want our information to reflect the many types of people and homes in the
United States {You have/Your family has/Your child has} the chance to represent thousands of other
people in the United States like {you/them}!

How much time will the in-home interview take?
Someone in your home has already completed the first step by doing the initial interview! The next
step includes an interview {about your family’s/about your child’s} health that will take about 1 hour.
We understand that your time is important – our professional interviewers will work with you to
schedule a time that works for you. We can come back at a time that works for you.
{You/Each family member} can answer only the questions {you/they} want to answer or stop the
interview at any time.

Why should I take part in NHANES?
For more than 60 years, hundreds of thousands of people have been part of NHANES and this year,
{you/your family/your child} and others in your community have been selected to help us gather
information to improve our country’s health. Without people like you, we would not have learned:
•

What chemicals in food and gasoline were harming people’s health

•

What a healthy growth rate is for babies and children

•

How many people in the United States have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes

How will my information be used?
We use your {family’s/child’s} information only for health studies and reports. Your {family’s/child’s}
answers are added to others. No one can identify which answers are {yours/about your family/about
your child}.
Your answers are confidential. We will not share your information with anyone who does not have
permission to see the data.

Assurance of Confidentiality. We take your privacy very seriously. All information that relates to or describes identifiable characteristics of
individuals, a practice, or an establishment will be used only for statistical purposes. NCHS staff, contractors, and agents will not disclose or
release responses in identifiable form without the consent of the individual or establishment in accordance with section 308(d) of the Public
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 242m(d)) and the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act or CIPSEA (44 U.S.C. 35613583). In accordance with CIPSEA, every NCHS employee, contractor, and agent has taken an oath and is subject to a jail term of up to five
years, a fine of up to $250,000, or both if he or she willfully discloses ANY identifiable information about you. In addition to the above cited laws,
NCHS complies with the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015 (6 U.S.C. §§ 151 and 151 note) which protects Federal information
systems from cybersecurity risks by screening their networks.

11c-5

11c-C

{DATE}

DIETARY INTERVIEW 1 NOT COMPLETE
{ADDRESSEE NAME}
{STREET MAILING ADDRESS}
{CITY, STATE ZIP}
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please Read

Dear {SP FIRST NAME/PARENT OR GUARDIAN OF SP FIRST NAME}:
Thank you for being a part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and
completing your initial interviews. {You have/Your family has} already completed the first steps of
NHANES!
The next—and most important—step is for {you/SP NAME/your family} to complete {your/their} free
health exam at our Mobile Exam Center. As a token of our appreciation, we will give {you/{SP NAME}/
each selected family member} {$MEC INCENTIVE RANGE}, depending on {your/their} age. You will
also get the results of {BLANK/each of} your exam{s} to share with your doctor{s}. We will pay for your
transportation to the exam and the costs of childcare or care of an adult, if needed.

What’s Next
Initial
Screener

In-Home
Interview

Free Health Exam

Dietary Phone
Interview 1

Dietary Phone
Interview 2
Complete!

{$MEC Incentive Range}
Token of Thanks

{$DI Incentive} Token of Thanks

{$DI Incentive} Token of Thanks

You can help us make NHANES a success! But we are only in your community for a short time.
{You/Your child/Your family} must participate soon to receive {your/their} free health exam{s}!
Please call us at 800-344-1386 to schedule your {BLANK/family’s/child’s} exam{s}. We will answer all
of your questions and give you directions to the Mobile Exam Center. If we do not hear from you, one
of our professional interviewers will be in touch with you soon.

Peggy Collins,
National Field Manager

407

{LETTER CONTROL ID}

www.cdc.gov/nhanes

11c-6

{DATE}

DIETARY INTERVIEW 1 COMPLETE
{ADDRESSEE NAME}
{STREET MAILING ADDRESS}
{CITY, STATE ZIP}
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please Read

Dear {SP FIRST NAME/PARENT OR GUARDIAN OF SP FIRST NAME}:
Thank you for being a part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and
completing your initial interviews. {You have/Your family has} already completed the first steps of
NHANES!
The next—and most important—step is for {you/SP NAME/your family} to complete {your/their} free
health exam at our Mobile Exam Center. As a token of our appreciation, we will give {you/{SP NAME}/
each selected family member} {$MEC INCENTIVE RANGE}, depending on {your/their} age. You will
also get the results of {BLANK/each of} your exam{s} to share with your doctor{s}. We will pay for your
transportation to the exam and the costs of childcare or care of an adult, if needed.

What’s Next
Initial
Screener

In-Home
Interview

Dietary Phone
Interview 1

Free Health Exam

Dietary Phone
Interview 2
Complete!

{$MEC Incentive Range}
Token of Thanks

{$DI Incentive} Token of Thanks

You can help us make NHANES a success! But we are only in your community for a short time.
{You/Your child/Your family} must participate soon to receive {your/their} free health exam{s}!
Please call us at 800-344-1386 to schedule your {BLANK/family’s/child’s} exam{s}. We will answer all
of your questions and give you directions to the Mobile Exam Center. If we do not hear from you, one
of our professional interviewers will be in touch with you soon.

Peggy Collins,
National Field Manager

407

{LETTER CONTROL ID}

www.cdc.gov/nhanes

11c-7

You have questions – we have answers! Some common questions about NHANES

What will happen during the exam?
During the exam, a health staff member will measure your {BLANK/family’s/child’s} height, weight,
and blood pressure. {You/Your family/Your child} may also have {your/their} urine and blood tested,
and your teeth and vision checked. Our staff are experienced health professionals and are happy to
answer your questions. {You/Each family member/Your child} can decide to stop the exam at any
time, or not do an exam.

Why was {I/my family/my child} selected?
Each year, only around 5,000 people are chosen to participate in NHANES from just a few
communities in the United States. {You were/Your family was/Your child was} randomly chosen to
participate in this study.
We want our information to reflect the many different types of people and households in the United
States. {You have/Your family has/Your child has} the chance to represent up to 60,000 other
people in the United States like {you/them}!

How much time will the health exam take?
You have already completed the first two steps! {The/Your child’s} health exam can take up to 2
hours and is the most important step in completing NHANES.
We understand that your time is important – our professional interviewers will help you to schedule
a time that works for you. Additionally, we will pay for your transportation to the exam and the
costs of childcare or care of an adult, if needed.

How will my information be used?
We use your {BLANK/family’s/child’s} information only for health studies and reports. Your {BLANK/
family’s/child’s} health data are added to others. No one can identify which health measurements
are {yours/your family’s/your child’s}.
Your {family’s/child’s} exam will tell you more about {your/their} health and {you/they} will also be
helping doctors, researchers, and policy makers improve the health of the nation!

Assurance of Confidentiality. We take your privacy very seriously. All information that relates to or describes identifiable characteristics of
individuals, a practice, or an establishment will be used only for statistical purposes. NCHS staff, contractors, and agents will not disclose or
release responses in identifiable form without the consent of the individual or establishment in accordance with section 308(d) of the Public
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 242m(d)) and the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act or CIPSEA (44 U.S.C. 35613583). In accordance with CIPSEA, every NCHS employee, contractor, and agent has taken an oath and is subject to a jail term of up to five
years, a fine of up to $250,000, or both if he or she willfully discloses ANY identifiable information about you. In addition to the above cited laws,
NCHS complies with the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015 (6 U.S.C. §§ 151 and 151 note) which protects Federal information
systems from cybersecurity risks by screening their networks.

11c-8