National Health Interview Survey, 2001

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 2001 NHIS contains the Household, Family,
Person, Sample Adult, Sample Child, Child Immunization, and Injury and
Poison Episode data files from the basic module. Each record in the
Household-Level File (Part 1) 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.
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. Also included in this file are variables
pertaining to the Healthy People 2010 Objectives. The Sample Child
File (Part 5) 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 such as
hearing aids, braces, or wheelchairs. Also included are variables
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 regarding injuries and poisonings are found in the Injury
and Poison Episode File (Part 7), which examines the cause and date of
injury or poisoning, loss of time from work or school, and whether the
episode resulted in hospitalization. Information in the Injury and
Poison Verbatim File (Part 8) is comprised of narrative text
describing injuries, including type of injury, how the injury
occurred, and the body part injured.