The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III: describing the health and nutritional status of older Americans.

The National Health and Nutrition Examination III will provide important data for examination of the health and nutritional status of persons in the U.S. Innovations in the study, particularly the inclusion of persons over age 74 and the focus of the survey on the major chronic diseases of old age, will enhance the value for older persons. Response rates for phase 1 (1988-1991) show that about 80% of all older subjects agreed to the interview; examination rates declined with age, but the use of a home examination increased the response rate for those aged 75 or older by about 9% to 67% for men and about 62% for women. Analytic plans include examination of the effect of nutrition on health, as well as the effect of health status on the distribution of nutritional risk factors in old age.