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Based on nationally representative anthropometric data, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) has published reference tables on the distribution of various body measurements for the U.S. population (1-5). National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data are the primary source of body measurement information for the U.S. population. These measurements reflect the mean weight, height, length, and various circumferences of U.S. children and adults. Anthropometry is a measure of nutritional or general health status, dietary adequacy, and growth. This report presents anthropometric reference data from the years 2015-2018 for U.S. children and adults.

Complete tooth loss can diminish quality of life, limiting food choices and impeding social interaction (1). Reducing complete tooth loss is a national health goal monitored by Healthy People; although prevalence has decreased since the 1960s, disparities persist (2-4). Factors leading to complete tooth loss-untreated dental caries, periodontitis, and smoking-are preventable and differ by socioeconomic status and between men and women (5,6). This report examines disparities in complete tooth loss among U.S. adults aged 65 and over by sex, age, race and Hispanic origin, and education in 2015-2018 and trends from 1999-2000 through 2017-2018.

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D is important for bone health; in 2014 it was the fifth most commonly ordered laboratory test among Medicare Part B payments. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to describe vitamin D status in the US population in 2011–2014 and trends from 2003 to 2014. METHODS: We used serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D data from NHANES 2011–2014 (n = 16,180), and estimated the prevalence at risk of deficiency (

Background Following implementation in 2009–2010 to the oral health component for the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a full-mouth periodontal examination was continued during 2011–2014. Additionally, a comprehensive dental caries assessment was re-introduced in 2011 after a 6-year absence from NHANES. This report provides oral health content information and results of dental examiner reliability statistics for key intraoral assessments conducted by dentists during 2011–2014. Methods During the 2011–2014 NHANES 17,463 persons age 1 and older representing the US civilian, non-institutionalized population received an oral health examination. From this group, 387 individuals underwent a repeat examination conducted by the survey reference examiner. A combination of examiner training and calibration, electronic data capture, and ongoing performance evaluation with statistical monitoring was used to ensure conformance with NHANES protocols and data comparability to prior data collection periods. Results During 2011–2014, the Kappa statistics for the tooth count assessment ranged from 0.96 to 1.00, for untreated dental caries Kappa scores were 0.93 to 1.00. The overall Kappa statistics for identifying combined moderate-severe periodontitis using the CDC/AAP case definition was 0.66 and 0.69 with percent agreement of 83 to 85% during 2011–2014. When evaluating inter-examiner agreement using information collected from 3 periodontal sites for comparability to the NHANES 2003–04 periodontal examination protocols, Kappa scores for combined moderate-severe periodontitis was 0.65 and 0.80 during 2011–2014. For total mean attachment loss and pocket depth across all 6 periodontal sites, the inter-class coefficients (ICCs) ranged from 0.80–0.90 and 0.79–0.86 respectively. Site-specific mean attachment loss ICCs were generally higher for the 4 interproximal measurements compared to the 2 mid-site probing measurements and this observation was similar in 2009–2010. Conclusion During 2011–2014, results overall indicate a high level of data quality and substantial examiner reliability for tooth count and dentition; reliability for periodontal disease, across various assessments, was at least moderate. When comparing the 2011–2014 examiner performance to findings from 2003 to 2004, comparable concordance between the examiners and the reference examiner exists.

Objective The aim of this study was to compare national estimates of self-reported and measured height and weight, BMI, and obesity prevalence among adults from US surveys. Methods Self-reported height and weight data came from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the National Health Interview Survey, and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System for the years 1999 to 2016. Measured height and weight data were available from NHANES. BMI was calculated from height and weight; obesity was defined as BMI ≥ 30. Results In all three surveys, mean self-reported height was higher than mean measured height in NHANES for both men and women. Mean BMI from self-reported data was lower than mean BMI from measured data across all surveys. For women, mean self-reported weight, BMI, and obesity prevalence in the National Health Interview Survey and Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were lower than self-report in NHANES. The distribution of BMI was narrower for self-reported than for measured data, leading to lower estimates of obesity prevalence. Conclusions Self-reported height, weight, BMI, and obesity prevalence were not identical across the three surveys, particularly for women. Patterns of misreporting of height and weight and their effects on BMI and obesity prevalence are complex.

The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (1) recommend consuming two servings of seafood, including fish and shellfish, per week. Consuming approximately 8 ounces of a variety of seafood weekly is associated with reduced cardiac deaths (2). This report describes the percentage of U.S. adults and youth who reported consuming seafood at least two times per week by sex, age, and race and Hispanic origin during 2013-2016. Trends in the percentage of adults and youth who consumed seafood at least twice weekly, from 2005-2006 through 2015-2016, are also presented.

Beverages contribute to hydration and affect total calorie intake (1). For all individuals aged 2 years and over, the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that water, fat-free and low-fat milk, and 100% juice be the primary beverages consumed (2). The American Academy of Pediatrics also supports this advice for youth (3). This report describes the contribution of different beverage types to total beverage consumption, by grams, among U.S. youth.

Dental caries is the most common chronic disease among youth aged 6-19 years. Untreated caries can cause pain and infections. Monitoring prevalence of untreated and total caries (untreated and treated) is key to preventing and controlling oral diseases. This report presents the prevalence of total and untreated caries in primary or permanent teeth among youth aged 2-19 years for 2015-2016, and trends from 2011-2012 through 2015-2016.

Daily flossing prevalence was determined among adults ≥30 years old in the United States, by demographic and risk factors for periodontal disease, including current tobacco use and diabetes.Data from the 2011-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were analyzed for 8,356 adults. Flossing prevalence was estimated. Logistic regression analysis examined the association between daily flossing and demographic and risk factors for periodontal diseases.Daily flossing among adults was 31.6% (standard error [SE] = 0.8). There were significant differences among the categories of flossing according to age, sex, race/Hispanic origin, poverty status, education, current tobacco use, and diabetes status. In adjusted analyses, current tobacco users (odds ratio [OR]: 0.82; 95% confidence index [CI] 0.68, 0.99) had lower odds of daily flossing than non-tobacco users; there was no significant difference between adults with and without diabetes (OR 0.75; 95% CI 0.52, 1.08).Approximately one-third of adults in the United States reported that they floss daily. Daily flossing was higher among women, those with higher income, and non-Hispanic Asian and Hispanic adults, but it was lower among current tobacco users.

Background Continuous adherence to antipsychotic treatment is critical for individuals with schizophrenia to benefit optimally, yet studies have shown rates of antipsychotic discontinuation to be high with few differences across medications. We investigated discontinuation of selected first- and second-generation antipsychotics among individuals with schizophrenia receiving usual care in a VA healthcare network in the U.S. mid-Atlantic region. Methods We identified 2138 VA patients with schizophrenia who initiated antipsychotic treatment with one of five non-clozapine second-generation antipsychotics or either of the two most commonly prescribed first-generation agents between 1/2004 and 9/2006. The dependent variable was duration of continuous antipsychotic possession from the index prescription until the first gap of more than 45 days between prescriptions. We used the Cox proportional hazards model to compare the hazard of discontinuation among the seven antipsychotics controlling for patient demographic and clinical characteristics. The reference group was olanzapine. Results The majority of patients (84%) discontinued their index antipsychotic during the follow-up period (up to 33 months). In multivariable analysis, only risperidone had a significantly greater hazard of discontinuation compared to olanzapine (Adjusted hazard ratio = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.02–1.30, p = .025). Younger age, non-white race, homelessness, substance use disorder, recent inpatient mental health hospitalization, and prescription of another antipsychotic were also associated with earlier discontinuation. Conclusions Examination of a usual care sample of individuals with schizophrenia revealed short durations of antipsychotic use, with only risperidone having a shorter time to discontinuation than olanzapine. These findings demonstrate that current antipsychotic agents have limited overall acceptability by patients in usual care.

Dental caries in preschool children was historically considered to have a unique and more intense pattern of decay and was known by a variety of terms. In 1999, the term early childhood caries (ECC), along with a classification system, was proposed to facilitate epidemiologic research of dental caries in young children. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of those early childhood caries recommendations on the prevalence and measurement of caries in preschool children.A systematic search of the MEDLINE database was performed. Key search words included: ECC, dental decay, dental caries, carious dentin, baby bottle tooth decay, nursing caries, maxillary anterior caries, and labial caries. English language studies and studies on more than 100 children younger than six years old were eligible for selection. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data collected from 1988 to 1994, 1999 to 2004, and 2011 to 2012 were used to assess ECC prevalence using different operational definitions.There were 87 articles selected for this review. The term ECC was used in 55 percent of the selected articles as the primary outcome measure. The majority of studies used a cross-section study design, but diagnostic criteria varied greatly. Caries experience in young children may be shifting away from majority of untreated surfaces to a majority of restored surfaces. Little difference was observed by dental surface type in the distribution of decayed and filled surfaces in primary teeth.Although the term early childhood caries is widely used, varied use of diagnostic criteria and operational definitions continue to limit comparability across studies. Emerging changes in the proportion of decayed and filled surfaces in the United States also raises questions regarding the ECC case definition limiting our ability to understand the epidemiology of dental caries in preschool children.

INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular disease remains an important cause of death in the U.S. where veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces represent a significant segment of the population. Limited national estimates of cardiovascular disease risk factors using physical measurements and reported veteran status in the U.S. civilian population have been reported. The purpose of this study was to compare the prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors among veteran and non-veteran men in the U.S. civilian population. METHODS: Using data from the 2009–2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, 1,107 veteran and 3,972 non-veteran men were identified for this study (analyzed in 2014–2015). Differences in hypertension, dsylipidemia, diabetes, obesity, and smoking between veterans and non-veterans were compared using chi-square and t-tests. Predicted prevalence from multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for age, race/Hispanic origin, and poverty level were used to assess whether previous military service was associated with having a cardiovascular disease risk factor. RESULTS: Veteran men were older than non-veteran men (59.9 years vs 43.4 years) and were more likely to be non-Hispanic white (79.9% vs 65.7%). Adjusted predicted prevalence estimates show that veterans were more likely than non-veterans to be obese (42.6% vs 33.7%, p

Objective We examined whether having a psychiatric disorder among HIV-infected individuals is associated with differential rates of discontinuation of HAART and whether the number of mental health visits impact these rates. Design This longitudinal study (fiscal year: 2000-2005) used discrete time survival analysis to evaluate time to discontinuation of HAART. The predictor variable was presence of a psychiatric diagnosis (serious mental illness versus depressive disorders versus none). Setting Five United States outpatient HIV sites affiliated with the HIV Research Network. Patients The sample consisted of 4989 patients. The majority was nonwhite (74.0%) and men (71.3%); 24.8% were diagnosed with a depressive disorder, and 9% were diagnosed with serious mental illness. Main outcome measures Time to discontinuation of HAART adjusting for demographic factors, injection drug use history, and nadir CD4 cell count. Results Relative to those with no psychiatric disorders, the hazard probability for discontinuation of HAART was significantly lower in the first and second years among those with SMI [adjusted odds ratio: first year, 0.57 (0.47-0.69); second year, 0.68 (0.52-0.89)] and in the first year among those with depressive disorders [adjusted odds ratio: first year, 0.61 (0.54-0.69)]. The hazard probabilities did not significantly differ among diagnostic groups in subsequent years. Among those with psychiatric diagnoses, those with six or more mental health visits in a year were significantly less likely to discontinue HAART compared with patients with no mental health visits. Conclusion Individuals with psychiatric disorders were significantly less likely to discontinue HAART in the first and second years of treatment. Mental health visits are associated with decreased risk of discontinuing HAART.

Colorectal adenomas are known precursors for colorectal cancer. Several studies have shown that dietary factors can influence adenoma formation and growth. This study was conducted using African-American men and women who were undergoing colonoscopies in order to examine the relationship between selected dietary factors and the risk for colon polyps. In a case-control design, 186 men and women with a mean of 58 years of age were studied. A multiple logistic regression model was used to adjust for potential confounding variables and to determine which factors influence colorectal adenoma risk. Study results revealed that consumption of legumes such as dried beans, split peas, or lentils was negatively associated with risk (OR = 0.19; 95% CI: 0.04-0.91). Legumes are a good source of dietary fiber and of phytochemical compounds that may play a role in reducing adenoma formation or growth, thereby decreasing the risk of colorectal cancer. Nurses working with African-Americans should encourage consumption of these foods to decrease this risk.

A genetic analysis of age of onset of alcoholism was performed on the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism data released for Genetic Analysis Workshop 14. Our study illustrates an application of the log-normal age of onset model in our software Genetic Epidemiology Models (GEMs). The phenotype ALDX1 of alcoholism was studied. The analysis strategy was to first find the markers of the Affymetrix SNP dataset with significant association with age of onset, and then to perform linkage analysis on them. ALDX1 revealed strong evidence of linkage for marker tsc0041591 on chromosome 2 and suggestive linkage for marker tsc0894042 on chromosome 3. The largest separation in mean ages of onset of ALDX1 was 19.76 and 24.41 between male smokers who are carriers of the risk allele of tsc0041591 and the non-carriers, respectively. Hence, male smokers who are carriers of marker tsc0041591 on chromosome 2 have an average onset of ALDX1 almost 5 years earlier than non-carriers.