Health Surveys

The Family Life, Activity, Sun, Health, and Eating (FLASHE) study is a cross-sectional study that was conducted in 2014. FLASHE collected survey data on psychosocial, generational (parent-adolescent), and environmental correlates of cancer-preventive behaviors among dyads of parents and their adolescent children. The purpose of the study is to help researchers understand lifestyle behaviors that relate to cancer risk. The majority of the survey questions focus on diet and physical activity, with additional survey items about sleep, sun safety, and tobacco use. The datasets also support the examination of neighborhood characteristics and behavior.

The purpose of the Food Attitudes and Behaviors (FAB) Survey is to evaluate a variety of factors, including knowledge of fruit and vegetable (F/V) recommendations, psychosocial factors, and other variables that may be related to F/V consumption.

The Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) is a cross-sectional, nationally representative survey of American adults that utilizes self-administered mail questionnaires to monitor the health information environment and assess how people access and use health-related information and technology. NCI and extramural communication researchers analyze HINTS data to gain insight into people’s knowledge about cancer, the communication channels through which they obtain health information, and their cancer-related behaviors.

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is a program of studies designed to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States. The survey is unique in that it combines interviews and physical examinations. NCI supports modules in the NHANES that provide data useful for monitoring dietary intake and physical activity.

The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) serves as the main source of US data on a broad range of health topics. DCCPS sponsors an annual Cancer Control Supplement (CCS) to the NHIS, which is administered to the sample adult in the selected household. The CCS focuses on issues pertaining to knowledge, attitudes, and practices of cancer-related health behaviors, screening, and risk assessment.

The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health)

Initiated in 1994 in response to a Congressional mandate to fund a study of adolescent health, Add Health is the largest, most comprehensive longitudinal survey of adolescents ever undertaken. As participants have aged into adulthood, however, the scientific goals have expanded and evolved. Multiple datasets are now available for study in the social and behavioral sciences.

The Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey (TUS-CPS) is an NCI-sponsored survey of tobacco use and policy information that has been administered as part of the U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey since 1992. The TUS-CPS is a key source of national, state, and sub-state level data on smoking and other tobacco use in U.S. households. These data can be used by researchers to monitor progress in the control of tobacco use, conduct tobacco-related research, and evaluate tobacco control programs.