Table 3.

Comparison of question wording in the 1999 PSID in 1999 NHIS

Item	PSID	NHIS
Height	How tall [are you/is he/is she]?	How tall are you without shoes?
Weights	About how much [do you/does he/does she] weigh?	How much do you weigh without shoes?
Health limits work	[Do you/does he/does she] have any physical or nervous condition that limits the type of work or the amount of work [you/he/she] can do?	Are/(Other than the person mentioned), any of these family members {PERSONS 18+} limited in the kind or amount of work {you/they} can do because of a physical, mental or emotional problem?
Conditions	Has a doctor ever told [you/him/her] that [you have/he has/she has] or had any of the following…..	Have you EVER been told by a doctor or health professional that you had/have…..
	A stroke?	A stroke?
	High blood pressure or hypertension?	Hypertension, also called high blood pressure?
	Diabetes or high blood sugar?	Diabetes or sugar diabetes?
	Cancer or a malignant tumor, excluding skin cancer?	Cancer or a malignancy of any kind?
	Heart attack?	A heart attack (also called myocardial infarction)?
	Asthma?	Asthma?
Self rated general health	Would you say [your/his/her] health in general is excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor?	Would you say {subjects name} health in general is excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor?
Smoking	Did [you/he/she] ever smoke cigarettes?	Have you smoked at least 100 cigarettes in your ENTIRE LIFE?
	[Do you/Does he/she] smoke cigarettes?	Do you NOW smoke cigarettes every day, some days or not at all?
Insurance	In 1997 or 1998, was anyone in the family covered by health insurance or some other kind of health care plan? (Including health insurance obtained through employment or purchased directly as well as government programs like Medicare and Medicaid that provide medical care or help pay medical bills.) For how many months in 1998 [were you/was he/was she] covered?	{are you/is anyone} covered by health insurance or some other kind of health care plan? INSTRUCTIONS; Read if necessary: include health insurance obtained through employment or purchased directly as well as government programs like Medicare and Medicaid to provide medical care or help pay medical bills.