Data were collected by NHANES on prescription medications taken, spanning both short-term and long-term prescriptions. Participants were required to show examiners the containers of all medications used in the last month. The percentage of respondents who provided physical evidence of medication use ranged from 77.7% (11 512 of 14 817) in the 2009-2010 cycle to 94.5% (13 252 of 14 019) in the 2013-2014 cycle, with medication use ascertained via self-report for the remaining individuals who could not produce prescription bottles. Of 43 793 respondents participating in in-home interviews, fewer than 0.05% (n = 24) were missing prescription medication data or refused to answer.12 Medication data were limited to prescriptions for 30 days or more to exclude short-term medications for acute medical issues.12
