Archival Version

The New York City Community Health Survey (CHS) is a telephone survey conducted annually by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). The CHS conducted in 2004 collected information from 9,585 New York adult residents aged 18 years and older from all five boroughs of New York City -- Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, and Staten Island. All data collected are self-report. Data are available at the level of 33 different neighborhoods, defined by ZIP code. The survey is conducted to inform health program decisions, to increase the understanding of the relationship between health behavior and health status, and to support health policy positions. Respondents were asked about their physical activity participation, whether they had been diagnosed with asthma, and whether they had ever had a flu or pneumonia shot. Multiple questions addressed respondents' smoking habits, whether they thought of quitting, the number of cigarettes they smoked per day, where their last cigarette came from, which aides helped them to quit smoking, and the implemented policies for smoking at their jobs and in their homes. Additional information was collected on respondents' second hand smoke exposure, colonoscopy and pap smear screenings, diabetes diagnosis, and episodes of heavy and binge drinking. Other topics covered included respondents' sexual history, whether they had ever been tested for HIV, and whether they had experienced domestic violence. Weights were constructed at the UHF-level to allow the sample to provide neighborhood-level estimations of both individual adults and of households in New York City. The data contain a weight variable (WT5) that should be used in analyzing the data. Demographic variables include gender, age, marital status, employment status, race, poverty level, income, and education level.