NHANES III is a multi-agency collaborative survey designed to estimate the prevalence of diseases and risk factors in some 30,000 Americans and conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics. Special efforts are being directed to collection of data from interviews and examinations for the population over age 60 and oldest-old. Phase I of NHANES III, a national sample in itself and about on-half of the projected total, is three quarters completed. The overall examination rate is 76.7 percent and this rate is higher than for NHANES II. However, the response rates are somewhat lower for those 75 years and older. Home examinations are being done to improve the participation rate in older persons. Biomedical examination content of particular interest to EDB Program investigators include 24-hour dietary recalls, bioelectrical impedence for body composition, bone density measurement, knee x-rays, and an assessment of physical functioning. Phase I data files may be ready for preliminary use by August 1992. Phase II of NHAMES III data collection will continue at the same time.
