Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Public Use File Details

Update #3: 2/09/2024

During the construction of the variable ADCMPY42 (SAQ: DATE COMPLETED-YEAR), the 3,092 PSAQ cases collected in the year 2021 were incorrectly assigned the value of -15 (Cannot be Computed) instead.

Update #2: 11/17/2023

The survey questions corresponding to the variables ADKALC42 and ADOFTALC42 changed from 2018 to 2020. In the 2018 Full-Year Consolidated file, the variable ADKALC42 was based on the survey question: "In the last 12 months, has a doctor, nurse, or other health care professional asked you how much and how often you drink alcohol?" In the 2020 Full-Year Consolidated file, a different variable, ADOFTALC42, reflects this same question, while ADKALC42 is based on a new question: "How often do you have a drink containing alcohol?" Users should be mindful of this change when utilizing the variable ADKALC42 in their analyses for 2018, 2020, and beyond. See Table 1 below for details.
The response categories for variables ADRNK542 and ADRNK442 in the 2020 Full-Year Consolidated file have changed from those used in 2018. See Table 2 below for details.

Table 1.

SAQ question text	2018	2020
How often do you have a drink containing alcohol? Never Less Than Monthly Monthly Weekly 2-3 Times a Week 4-6 Times a Week Daily	(none)	ADKALC42
In the last 12 months, has a doctor, nurse, or other health care professional asked you how much and how often you drink alcohol? Yes No	ADKALC42	ADOFTALC42

Table 2.

SAQ question text – FEMALE Only	2018	2020
In the last 12 months, have you had 4 or more drinks in one day? Yes No	ADRNK442
Never Less Than Monthly Monthly Weekly 2-3 Times a Week 4-6 Times a Week Daily		ADRNK442
SAQ question text – MALE Only	2018	2020
In the last 12 months, have you had 5 or more drinks in one day? Yes No	ADRNK542
Never Less Than Monthly Monthly Weekly 2-3 Times a Week 4-6 Times a Week Daily		ADRNK542

Update #1: 12/09/2022

In the 2020 questionnaires on the MEPS website, the specifications for Panel 24 round 5 are incorrect. Panel 24 round 5 spans 2020 and 2021. That is, the questionnaires say round 5 ended 12/31, but instead it generally ended in 2021.