The U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: what forty years of experience has taught us - ARCHIVED

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) has been conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics for over forty years. The survey collects information on the health and nutritional status of the United States population using in-person interviews and standardized physical examinations conducted in mobile examination centers. During the course of these forty years, numerous lessons have been learned about the conduct of a survey using direct physical measures. Examples of these "lessons learned" are described and provide a guide for other organizations and countries as they plan similar surveys.