Using the Research Data Center to Analyze Genetic Data

• Activity Number: 191
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Monday, August 2, 2010 : 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM
• Sponsor: Section on Survey Research Methods
• Author(s): Karen Davis*+ and Peter Meyer
• Companies: National Center for Health Statistics and National Center for Health Statistics
• Keywords: Research Data Center (RDC) ; genetic data ; NHANES

Abstract

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is a program of periodic surveys conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) that provide national estimates of the health and nutritional status of the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population. DNA specimens were collected during the NHANES III (1991-1994) and NHANES 1999-2002, then added back to the NHANES survey starting in 2007. In 2001, NCHS approved a protocol that allowed researchers to use genotyping data linked to NHANES data, although this data would only be accessed in the Research Data Center (RDC). In 2009, NCHS implemented an RDC subcommittee to enable researchers to use the linked data within the RDC. This paper describes some of the issues involved in allowing researchers use of restricted genetic data.