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Protocol - Characteristics of Current Residence

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Description

Questions asked about the type of home, age, time lived in the residence, garage, pets in the home, and water damage. The respondent should be an adult who normally resides in the residence.

Specific Instructions

None

Availability

Available

Protocol

Note: Multiple source protocols are being recommended for measuring current residence characteristics.

Type & Age of Home

1. What is the type of dwelling?

[To distinguish between the types of buildings, you may ask:

How many other families live in the building? and/or

How many other families live on this floor?]

1[ ]Detached house

2[ ]Duplex/Triplex

3[ ]Row house

4[ ]Low rise apartment (1-3 floors)

5[ ]High rise apartment (>3 floors)

6[ ]Mobile home/Trailer

7[ ]Other Specify: a.__________________________

2. Is this property actively used as a farm or ranch?

1[ ]YES

2[ ]NO

3. What is the approximate age of your building?

Age of building ________ or Year built ___________

Years at Address

4. When did you start living there?

MO and YR __________ or AGE__________

5. When did you move from there?

MO and YR __________ or AGE__________

6. IF R DOES NOT KNOW 4 OR 5, ASK For how many years (have/did) you live(d) there?

Years ">___">___">

Attached Garage

7. Is there an enclosed garage attached to this (house/apartment)?

1[ ]YES → CONTINUE

2[ ]NO → SKIP NEXT QUESTION

7a. Are automobiles, vans, trucks, or other motor vehicles parked in this attached garage?

1[ ]YES

2[ ]NO

8. Are any gas-powered devices stored in any room, basement, or attached garage in this (house/apartment)?

DO NOT INCLUDE CARS, VANS, OR TRUCKS. DO INCLUDE MOTORCYCLES, GAS-POWERED LAWNMOWERS, TRIMMERS OR BLOWERS, BOAT ENGINES, ETC.

1[ ]YES

2[ ]NO

9[ ]DON’T KNOW

Water Damage

9. During the past 12 months, has there been water or dampness in your home from broken pipes, leaks, heavy rain, or floods?

1[ ]YES

2[ ]NO

8[ ]DON’T KNOW

10. Does your home frequently have a mildew odor or musty smell?

1[ ]YES

2[ ]NO

8[ ]DON’T KNOW

Heating Source/Air Conditioning/HVAC

11. Is air conditioning (refrigeration) used to cool this (house/apartment)?

1[ ]YES → CONTINUE

2[ ]NO → SKIP REMAINING AIR CONDITIONING QUESTIONS

12. Which types of air conditioning units do you use?

CHECK ALLTHAT APPLY

1[ ]Central unit/units

2[ ]Window or wall unit/units

3[ ]Portable unit/units

13. During which month (do you usually/would you) start using air conditioning to cool this (house/apartment)? During which month (do you usually/would you) stop using air conditioning?

CIRCLE THE START AND STOP MONTHS.

[ ] Start Month: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

[ ] Stop Month: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

14. Which fuels are used for heating this (house/apartment)?

CHECK ALL THAT APPLY

1[ ]Gas: from underground pipes serving the neighborhood

2[ ]Gas: bottled, tank, or LP

3[ ]Electricity

4[ ]Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.

5[ ]Coal or coke

6[ ]Wood

7[ ]Solar energy

8[ ]Other fuel (Specify: ____________________)

9[ ]No fuel used

99[ ]DON’T KNOW

15. Does this (house/apartment) have a central heating system with ducts that blow air into most rooms?

1[ ]YES

2[ ]NO

16. During which month (do you usually/would you) start using heating devices? During which month (do you usually/would you) stop using heating devices?

CIRCLE THE START AND STOP MONTH

[ ] Start Month: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

[ ] Stop Month: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

Current Pets

17. In the last 12 months, did any dogs, cats or other small furry animals, such as a rabbit, guinea pig or hamster, live or spend time inside your home?

1[ ]YES

2[ ]NO (END OF SECTION)

7[ ]REFUSED (END OF SECTION)

9[ ]DON’T KNOW (END OF SECTION)

18. What kind of pet was it?

CHECK ALL THAT APPLY

1[ ]DOG

2[ ]CAT

3[ ]SMALL FURRY ANIMAL

77[ ]REFUSED

99[ ]DON’T KNOW

Personnel and Training Required

The interviewer must be trained to conduct personal interviews with individuals from the general population. The interviewer must be trained and found to be competent (i.e., tested by an expert) at the completion of personal interviews.*

* There are multiple modes to administer this question (e.g., paper-and-pencil and computer-assisted interviews).

Equipment Needs

Some of the source instruments were administered via a paper-and-pencil questionnaire. Others were administered via a computer-assisted interview. Computer software is necessary to develop computer-assisted instruments. The interviewer will require a laptop computer or handheld computer to administer a computer-assisted questionnaire.

Requirements
Requirement CategoryRequired
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

Adult

Participants

Adult 18+ who resides in the house

Selection Rationale

Multiple protocol sources are combined to cover a range of residential characteristics. Each is a well-established source. Taken together, they include a broad base of residential characteristics that address multiple exposures that occur in the current home.

Language

Chinese, English, Other languages available at source

Standards
StandardNameIDSource
Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC) Environ exp current residence proto 62514-5 LOINC
caDSR Form PhenX PX060101 - Characteristics Of Current Residence 5868436 caDSR Form
Derived Variables

None

Process and Review

The Expert Review Panel #2 (ERP 2) reviewed the measures in the Demographics, Environmental Exposures, and Social Environments domains.

Guidance from ERP 2 includes:

• No significant changes to measure

Back-compatible: no changes to Data Dictionary

Previous version in Toolkit archive (link)

Protocol Name from Source

National Human Exposure Assessment Survey (NHEXAS), 1995

Source

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2005–2006 Family Questionnaire, Question numbers HOQ.270 (question 17), HOQ.280 (question 18).

Inner City Asthma Survey, Home Evaluation-Home Environment Survey Questionnaire, Version 5.0, 1998, Question number B1 (question 1).

National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute. Long Island Breast Cancer Study, Section C. Residential History, Question numbers C2–C4 (questions 4–6).

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. National Survey of Lead Hazards and Allergens in Housing (NSLAH), 2001, Resident Questionnaire, Question numbers Q14, Q15 (questions 9, 10).

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. National Human Exposure Assessment Survey (NHEXAS), 1995, Question numbers B22 (question 2), B27a (question 7), B27d (question 7a), B28 (question 8), B29a–B29c, B31–B33 (questions 11–16).

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. MESA Air Pollution Study, 2006, Baseline Questionnaire, Exam 4, Question number 3 (question 3).

General References

None

Protocol ID

60101

Variables
Export Variables
Variable Name Variable IDVariable DescriptiondbGaP Mapping
PX060101_Air_Conditioning_Start_Month
PX060101130100 During which month (do you usually/would more
you) start using air conditioning to cool this (house/apartment)? show less
Variable Mapping
PX060101_Air_Conditioning_Stop_Month
PX060101130200 During which month (do you usually/would more
you) stop using air conditioning? show less
Variable Mapping
PX060101_Building_Age
PX060101030100 What is the approximate age of your more
building? Age of building show less
Variable Mapping
PX060101_Building_Residence_Age
PX060101040300 When did you start living there? AGE Variable Mapping
PX060101_Building_Residence_Month
PX060101040100 When did you start living there? MO and YR Variable Mapping
PX060101_Building_Residence_Year
PX060101040200 When did you start living there? MO and YR Variable Mapping
PX060101_Building_Year_Built
PX060101030200 What is the approximate age of your more
building? Year built show less
Variable Mapping
PX060101_Dwelling_Type
PX060101010000 What is the type of dwelling? [To more
distinguish between the types of buildings, you may ask: How many other families live in the building? and/or How many other families live on this floor?] show less
Variable Mapping
PX060101_Dwelling_Type_Specify_Other
PX060101010100 What is the type of dwelling? [To more
distinguish between the types of buildings, you may ask: How many other families live in the building? and/or How many other families live on this floor?] show less
Variable Mapping
PX060101_Garage_Vehicle_Parked
PX060101070200 Are automobiles, vans, trucks or other motor more
vehicles parked in this attached garage? show less
Variable Mapping
PX060101_House_Air_Conditioning
PX060101110000 Is air conditioning (refrigeration) used to more
cool this (house/apartment)? show less
Variable Mapping
PX060101_House_Air_Conditioning_Type
PX060101120000 Which types of air conditioning units do you use? Variable Mapping
PX060101_House_Central_Heating_System
PX060101150000 Does this (house/apartment) have a central more
heating system with ducts that blow air into most rooms? show less
Variable Mapping
PX060101_House_Farm_Use
PX060101020000 Is this property actively used as a farm or ranch? Variable Mapping
PX060101_House_Garage_Attached
PX060101070100 Is there an enclosed garage attached to this more
(house/apartment)? show less
N/A
PX060101_House_Gas_Powered_Device_Storage
PX060101080000 Are any gas powered devices stored in any more
room, basement, or attached garage in this (house/apartment)? show less
Variable Mapping
PX060101_House_Heating_Fuel
PX060101140000 Which fuels are used for heating this more
(house/apartment)? show less
Variable Mapping
PX060101_House_Heating_Fuel_Other_Specify
PX060101140100 Which fuels are used for heating this more
(house/apartment)? show less
N/A
PX060101_House_Heating_Start_Month
PX060101160100 During which month (do you usually/would more
you) start using heating devices? show less
Variable Mapping
PX060101_House_Heating_Stop_Month
PX060101160200 During which month (do you usually/would more
you) stop using heating devices? show less
Variable Mapping
PX060101_House_Mildew_Odor
PX060101100000 Does your home frequently have a mildew odor more
or musty smell? show less
Variable Mapping
PX060101_House_Pet
PX060101170000 In the last 12 months, did any dogs, cats or more
other small furry animals, such as a rabbit, guinea pig or hamster, live or spend time inside your home? show less
Variable Mapping
PX060101_House_Pet_Type
PX060101180000 What kind of pet was it? Variable Mapping
PX060101_House_Water_Dampness
PX060101090000 During the past 12 months, has there been more
water or dampness in your home from broken pipes, leaks, heavy rain, or floods? show less
Variable Mapping
PX060101_Residence_Move_Age
PX060101050300 When did you move from there? AGE N/A
PX060101_Residence_Move_Month
PX060101050100 When did you move from there? MO and YR N/A
PX060101_Residence_Move_Year
PX060101050200 When did you move from there? MO and YR N/A
PX060101_Years_At_Address
PX060101060000 How many years (have/did) you live(d) there? N/A
Environmental Exposures
Measure Name

Characteristics of Current Residence

Release Date

October 30, 2009

Definition

Questions about the characteristics of the current residence.

Purpose

Generally, people spend a large proportion of their days inside and at home. These questions provide information about a person’s home environment. They include characteristics about the age of the home, length of time in the home (length of time exposed to home-related exposures), use of a garage (e.g., carbon monoxide or benzene exposure), heating source and HVAC system (particulate matter and ventilation), water damage (mold), and presence of pets (allergens or contaminated dust). Taken together, these questions provide valuable information about factors that may affect the health or physiologic responses or epigenetic markers of those who live in the residence.

Keywords

Environmental Exposures, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, NCHS, National Cancer Institute, NCI, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, residence, age of the home, water damage, house, mold, mildew, heating fuel, pets, Inner-City Asthma Survey, ICAS, Home Evaluation-Home Environment Survey, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, NHANES, National Survey of Lead Hazards and Allergens in Housing, NSLAH, Multiethnic Study of Atheroscelerosis, MESA, National Human Exposure Assessment Survey, NHEXAS

Measure Protocols
Protocol ID Protocol Name
60101 Characteristics of Current Residence
Publications

Castner, J., et al. (2018) Community interest and feasibility of using a novel smartphone-based formaldehyde exposure detection technology. Public Health Nurs. 2018 July; 35(4): 261-272. doi: 10.1111/phn.12384