National Health Interview Survey, 2007

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 2007 NHIS contains the Household, Family, Person, Sample Adult, and Sample Child files from the basic module. Each record in Part 1, Household Level, contains data on 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. Part 2, Family Level, 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, Part 3, Person Level, 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 Part 4, Sample Adult, regarding respiratory conditions, use of nasal spray, renal conditions, AIDS, joint symptoms, health status, limitation of daily activities, and behaviors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity in addition to questions regarding stroke, diabetes, arthritis, and weight control. Part 5, Sample Child, provides information from an adult in the household on medical conditions of one child in the household, such as respiratory problems, seizures, allergies, and use of special equipment like hearing aids, braces, or wheelchairs. Also included are variables regarding child behavior, the use of mental health services, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), as well as responses to the SDQ, the Strengths and Difficulties questionnaire on child mental health. The 2007 data contain the Child Conditions - Limitation of Activity and Health Status (CHS), Child Health Care Access and Utilization (CAU), Child Mental Health Brief (CMB), Child Mental Health Services (CMS) and Child Influenza Immunization (CFI) sections. Part 6, Injury/Poison Episode, is an episode-based file that contains information about the external cause and nature of the injury or poisoning episode and what the person was doing at the time of the injury or poisoning episode, in addition to the date and place of occurrence. Part 7, Injury/Poison Episode Verbatim, contains edited narrative text descriptions of the injury or poisoning, provided by the respondent. Part 8, Adult Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and Part 9, Child Complementary and Alternative Medicine, provide information regarding the use of 17 nonconventional health care practices, including acupuncture, movement therapies, and relaxation techniques, for sample adults and sample children, respectively. Supplemental Sample Child, Part 10, and Supplemental Sample Child Alternative Medicine, Part 11, are supplemental files for the 2007 data release. These files provide dummy records to fill in the missing information for Part 5, Sample Child, and Part 9, Child Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Part 12, Paradata, does not contain health related information, but rather data which are related to the interview process, including measures of time, contact-ability, and cooperation. RAT_CAT3 Update, Part 13, corrects an error in the 2007 Family Level variable RAT_CAT3.