National Health Interview Survey, 1997

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 with the 1997 data collection. The present
collection consists of the basic module only, plus additional
household data. The basic module corresponds to the former NHIS core
questionnaire and is made up of the family core, the sample adult
core, and the sample child core questions. Each record in the
Household-Level File (Part 1) contains information 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. Episode-based information is found in the Injury Episode
File (Part 4), while the Poison Episode File (Part 5) examines the
cause and date of injury or poisoning, loss of time from work or
school, and whether the poisoning resulted in
hospitalization. Information in the Injury Verbatim File (Part 6) is
comprised of narrative text describing injuries, including type of
injury, how the injury occurred, and the body part injured. A
randomly-selected adult in each family was interviewed for the Sample
Adult File (Part 7) regarding respiratory conditions, renal
conditions, AIDS, and joint symptoms, along with questions regarding
health status, limitation of daily activities, and behaviors such as
smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity. The Sample Child
File (Part 8) 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 and the use of mental health
services. The Child Immunization File (Part 9) presents information
from shot records and supplies vaccination status, along with the
number and dates of shots, and information about chicken pox
vaccines.