Protocol - Current Age
Description
The interviewer asks the respondent for his or her date of birth in MM/DD/YYYY format. If the respondent does not know his or her date of birth, the interviewer asks an alternative question to determine his or her age. NOTE: The current age of the respondent can be calculated, given the date of the interview.
Specific Instructions
None
Availability
This protocol is freely available; permission not required for use.
Protocol
Current Age
1. What is your birthdate?
| ____ | ____ | ______ |
| MM | DD | YYYY |
9[ ]DK [Ask follow-up question]
7[ ]RF
[Follow-up question if "DK"]2. How old are you?
_______
AGE
999[ ]DK
777[ ]RF
Personnel and Training Required
None
Equipment Needs
None
Requirements
| Requirement Category | Required |
|---|---|
| Major equipment | No |
| Specialized training | No |
| Specialized requirements for biospecimen collection | No |
| Average time of greater than 15 minutes in an unaffected individual | No |
Mode of Administration
Interviewer-administered questionnaire
Lifestage
Infant, Toddler, Child, Adolescent, Adult, Senior, Pregnancy
Participants
Any age.
Selection Rationale
Age is a primary predictor of disease and the most important potential confounder in epidemiologic studies.
Age at date of interview or exam can be compared to age in future follow-up interviews or exams for longitudinal research purposes.
Vetted against several other current age questions, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) question was selected because it included the date of birth (DOB) and a follow-up question to collect current age if the respondent did not know his or her DOB.
Language
While the English version of this protocol has been updated, the available translations have not and reflect a previous version. These differences may impact the compatibility between the English and Spanish/Chinese versions. It is the responsibility of the investigator to determine if the translations are sufficiently compatible with the English version for their research and subsequent analysis.
Standards
| Standard | Name | ID | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| caDSR Form | Px10102 Age | 15176915 | caDSR Form |
Derived Variables
None
Process and Review
Not applicable
Protocol Name from Source
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2019-2020
Source
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) 2019-2020. Screener Module 1 (Question numbers: SCQ.290 and SCQ.292). Hyattsville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
General References
Public Population Project in Genomics (P3G) Data Shaper.
Protocol ID
10102
Variables
Export Variables| Variable Name | Variable ID | Variable Description | dbGaP Mapping | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PX010102_Age_Birthdate_Dont_Know | ||||
| PX010102010100 | What is your birthdate? Don't Know or Refused | N/A | ||
| PX010102_Age_Old_Dont_Know | ||||
| PX010102020100 | How old are you? | N/A | ||
Measure Name
Current Age
Release Date
September 16, 2024
Definition
Question to determine the respondent’s current age using his or her date of birth.
Purpose
Current age is a critical component of a respondent’s demographic background. Date of birth (DOB)/current age is essential to medical research because it captures the age at the time of the clinical visit or diagnosis. Age is related to nearly all diseases and conditions and is the strongest potential confounder of other effects on these processes. Current age is often used to stratify respondents for more valid comparison (e.g., obesity of males aged 40-45 in Mississippi).
Keywords
Demographics, National Center for Health Statistics, NCHS, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, age, date of birth, DOB, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, NHANES, Demographics-Populations with HD
Measure Protocols
| Protocol ID | Protocol Name |
|---|---|
| 10102 | Current Age |
Publications
Nguyen, A. P., Ke, W., Mei, S., and Nguyen, T. H. (2025) Understanding Prediabetes and Diabetes Among Vietnamese Americans: Exploring Biological, Psychological, and Social Factors J Transcult Nurs. 2025 November; 36(6): 690-701. doi: 10.1177/10436596251353035
Huynh, M. P., et al. (2025) A conditional indirect effect model of racism and depressive and anxiety symptoms by ethnicity among Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social Science & Medicine. 2025 October; 383: 118434. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118434
Crespo, N. C., et al. (2025) COVID Prevention Program: Rationale and methodology of a tailored behavioral intervention to prevent household and community spread of COVID-19 among Latinos. Contemporary Clinical Trials. 2025 September; 156: 108046. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2025.108046
Wright, B., et al. (2025) Exploring the Impact of the Caring Contacts Intervention on the Stress and Distress of Veterans and Service Members: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Research Protocols. 2025 August; 14: e72140. doi: 10.2196/72140
Agrez, K., et al. (2025) Assessing the association between ADHD and brain maturation in late childhood and emotion regulation in early adolescence Translational Psychiatry. 2025 June; 15(1): 9. doi: 10.1038/s41398-025-03411-6
Courtney, J. B., et al. (2025) Effects of Expanding Direct-to-Consumer Alcohol Home Delivery Policies: Evidence From 18 States of Increases in Alcohol Use and Consequences Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. 2025 May; 86(3): 330-339. doi: 10.15288/jsad.24-00273
Aguilar-Palma, S. K., et al. (2025) Characteristics influencing COVID-19 testing and vaccination among Spanish-speaking Latine persons in North Carolina PLoS ONE. 2025 January; 20(1): e0317794-e0317794. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0317794
FHIR
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