Description
For all current and institutionalized persons, USEAIDRD indicates if the person uses any assistive technology for personal care or everyday activities due to an impairment or physical or mental health problem. Respondents were asked "Does anyone in this household use any aids such as a walker, grab bars in the bathtub or any other special equipment for personal care of everyday activities (because of an impairment or a physical or mental health problem)?" If the answer was yes, the respondent was asked to identify which members of the household used aids.
If no one in the family uses assistive technologies, all members of the family are coded as 'No' (1). For families that responded with 'Refused' (7), 'Not Ascertained' (8), or 'Don't Know' (9), all members of the family were assigned the family-level response. If the response to the family screener question was 'Yes' (2) but no family members were identified as using aids, everyone in the family was coded as 'Don't Know.'
Definitions
A more extensive description of help aids is given in the Field Interviewer's help text:
"In the phrase 'aids or any other special equipment', the key word is 'special'. Special equipment includes any device that is not used by the general population to perform a specific activity.
There are many kinds of special equipment:
- mobile devices, such as motorized wheelchairs, canes and walkers;
- special spoons, plate guards, or hand splints used to aid in feeding;
- orthopedic shoes or braces;
- stationary devices, such as railings and ramps;
- computers or communication boards to assist speech;
- TTY - telephones or telephone amplifiers for hearing impaired;
- bathroom rails or bars, bathing benches or chairs."
This information was not shared with respondents. Examples of impairment given in the Field Interviewer's instructions include missing limbs, fingers, or other body parts; partial paralysis from an early case of polio, accident, or war wound; stiff joints, deformed fingers or other physical evidence of arthritis; and vision or hearing loss.
Collection frequency and timing for USEAIDRD change over time. In 1996, the question for USEAIDRD was asked in round 1. From 1997-2016 the question was asked in rounds 1, 3, and 5. In 2020 and 2021 this variable was collected multiple times across the panels extended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2017-2019 and 2022 forward, these questions were only asked once per year and those responses are recorded in the annual-level variable USEAID.
USEAIDRD is one of a series of variables about limitations and disability available in IPUMS MEPS. A complete list of these variables can be found in the description for ANYLMT.
Codes and Frequencies
Universe
- 1996: All current or institutionalized persons in Round 1.
- 1997-2016: All current or institutionalized persons in Rounds 1, 3 or 5.
- 2020: All current or institutionalized persons in Panel 23 Round 7, Panel 24 Rounds 3 and 5, or Panel 25 Rounds 1 and 3.
- 2021: All current or institutionalized persons in Panel 23 Round 7, Panel 24 Rounds 5 and 7, Panel 25 Round 3, or Panel 26 Rounds 1 and 3.
Availability
- 1996-2016, 2020-2021
Weights
- 1996-2016, 2020-2021 : PERWEIGHT
