Querying multiple variables at a time

[Jason Qian]

Hi everyone,
I am working in a database where each patient has fifteen procedure variables: proc1 proc2 proc3 ... proc14 proc15
I would like to generate a new variable, "int", if any variable from proc1-proc15 == "intubation".
Is there a more efficient way to achieve this than:

generate int = 0
replace int = 1 if proc1=="intubation"|proc2=="intubation"|proc3=="in tubation"|proc4=="intubation"|proc5=="intubation"| etc etc etc

Thank you in advance!

[Nick Cox]

Here are two ways to do it.

#1 
generate int = 0

forval j = 1/15 { 
    replace int = 1 if proc`j' == "intubation"
} 


#2 
gen int = inlist("intubation", proc1, proc2, proc3, proc4, proc5, proc6, proc7, proc8) 
replace int = int | inlist("intubation", proc9, proc10, proc11, proc12, proc13, proc14, proc15)

See

help inlist()

on the limits there, ,

[Jason Qian]

Thank you Nick!