Health Interview Survey, 1978

The purpose of the Health Interview Survey 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) in this collection include type of living quarters, size of family, and geographic region. The Person File (Part 2) variables include sex, age, race, marital status, veteran status, education, income, occupation, and limits on activity. The Condition File (Part 3) contains variables on the incidence of illness or injury within the past year. The Hospital Episode File (Part 4) contains variables on the incidence of hospitalizations and presence of chronic conditions. The Doctor Visit File (Part 5) includes variables regarding frequency of doctor visits, type of doctor seen, and reasons for each visit. A sixth and seventh file have been provided. The Family Medical Expenses File (Part 6) provides variables including sex, age, race, marital status, veteran status, education, income, industry and occupation codes, and limits on activity. Other variables include amounts paid for personal, family, and outside family dental bills, doctor bills, hospital bills, optical bills, prescription medicine, health insurance, and other medical expenses. Other questions include total personal, family, and outside family medical expenses, including and excluding health insurance, and the sex and race of the family head. The Immunization File (Part 7) includes basic demographic variables, hospital stay length, doctor visit periods, types of immunizations received, and when they were obtained.