Health Interview Survey, 1981

The purpose of the Health Interview Survey is to obtain
information about the amount and distribution of illness, its effects
in terms of disability and chronic impairments, and the kinds of
health services people receive. There are five types of records in the
core survey, each in a separate data file. The variables in the
Household File (Part 1) include type of living quarters, size of
family, number of families in the household, presence of a telephone,
number of unrelated individuals, and region. The Person File (Part 2)
includes information on sex, age, race, marital status, Hispanic
origin, education, veteran status, family income, family size, major
activities, health status, activity limits, employment status, and
industry and occupation. These variables are found in the Condition,
Doctor Visit, and Hospital Episode Files as well. The Person File
also supplies data on height, weight, bed days, doctor visits,
hospital stays, years at residence, and region variables. The
Condition File (Part 3) contains information for each reported health
condition, with specifics on injury and accident reports. The Hospital
Episode File (Part 4) provides information on medical conditions,
hospital episodes, type of service, type of hospital ownership, date
of admission and discharge, number of nights in hospital, and
operations performed. The Doctor Visit File (Part 5) documents doctor
visits within the time period and identifies acute or chronic
conditions. A sixth file has been provided. The Child Health Supplement File (Part 6) provides detailed data on child health and development. This supplement offers information on age of child, sex, birth-date, physical and social development, family relationships, prenatal care, hospitalization and illness, behavior, schooling, and seat-belt usage.