National Health Interview Survey, 1984

The basic purpose of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) 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 this core survey, each in a separate data file. The variables in the Household File (Part 1) include type of living quarters, size of family, region, and type of sampling area. The Person File (Part 2) includes sex, age, race, marital status, veteran status, and education. 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 (Part 3), Doctor Visit (Part 4), and Hospital Episode (Part 5) Files contain information on each reported acute or chronic condition, doctor visit, or hospitalization, respectively. A sixth, seventh, and eighth file have been provided. The Health Insurance Supplement File (Part6) contains
information on the type of health insurance held by each respondent
from the Person file. Parts 7-8 comprise the Supplement on Aging (SOA) Files divided into Condition and Person Public Use Files respectively, and contain data on a subset of the NHIS population, those aged 55 and over. These files contain the same Condition and Person variables as Parts 2-3 but are
supplemented by questions pertaining specifically to the subpopulation
of older respondents. These additional variables cover family
relationships and support, community and social support, occupation
and retirement, nursing home stays, help with care, health opinions,
and other health-related and social information about middle-aged and
older people.