National Health Interview Survey, 2000

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]). This final release of the 2000 NHIS contains the
Household, Family, Person, Sample Adult, Sample Child, and
Immunization, and Injury and Poison data files from the basic
module. The 2000 NHIS also contains the Cancer Control Module
(included in the Sample Adult File, Part 4), which corresponds to the
Cancer Supplements of 1987 and 1992 and examines such items as diet
and nutrition, use of herbal supplements, Hispanic acculturation,
genetic testing, and family history. 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 eligible 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. The Injury and Poison
Data File (Part 7) contains episode-level data for injuries and
poisonings and the Injury and Poison Verbatim File (Part 8) contains
verbatim comments for both injuries and poisonings.