National Health Interview Survey, 1999

The 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. Implementation of a redesigned NHIS,
consisting of a basic module, a periodic module, and a topical module,
began in 1997 (see NATIONAL HEALTH INTERVIEW SURVEY, 1997 [ICPSR 2954]).
The 1999 NHIS contains the household, family, person, sample adult,
sample child, and immunization data files from the basic module. Included
in the 1999 NHIS are periodic questions that provide additional detail on
topics such as Adult Conditions (ACN), Adult Access and Utilization
(AAU), Child Conditions, Limitation of Activity and Health Status
(CHS), and Child Access and Utilization (CAU).
Each record in the Household-Level File (Part 1) of the basic
module contains data on the type of living quarters, number of
families in the household responding and not responding, and the month
and year of the interview for each sampling unit. The
Family-Level File (Part 2) is made up of reconstructed variables from
the person-level data of the basic module and includes information on
sex, age, race, marital status, Hispanic origin, education, veteran
status, family income, family size, major activities, health status,
activity limits, and employment status, along with industry and
occupation. As part of the basic module, the Person-Level File (Part
3) provides information on all family members with respect to health
status, limitation of daily activities, cognitive impairment, and
health conditions. Also included are data on years at current
residence, region variables, height, weight, bed days, doctor visits,
hospital stays, and health care access and utilization. A
randomly-selected adult in each family was interviewed for the Sample
Adult File (Part 4) regarding respiratory conditions, renal
conditions, AIDS, joint symptoms, health status, limitation of daily
activities, and behaviors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and
physical activity. The Sample Child File (Part 5) provides information
from a knowledgeable adult in the household on medical conditions of
one child in the household, such as respiratory problems, seizures,
allergies, and use of special equipment such as hearing aids, braces,
or wheelchairs. Also included are questions regarding child behavior,
the use of mental health services, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD). The Child Immunization File (Part 6) presents
information from shot records and supplies vaccination status, along
with the number and dates of shots, and information about the chicken
pox vaccine. Episode-based information is found in the Injury Episode File
(Part 7), while information in the Injury Verbatim File (Part 8) is
comprised of narrative text describing injuries, including type of
injury, how the injury occurred, and the body part injured. The Poison
Episode File (Part 9) examines the cause and date of injury or
poisoning, loss of time from work or school, and whether the poisoning
resulted in hospitalization.