The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) is the principal source of information on the health of the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the United States and is one of the major data collection programs of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The main objective of the NHIS is to monitor the health of the United States population through the collection and analysis of data on a broad range of health topics. A major strength of this survey lies in the ability to display these health characteristics by many demographic and socioeconomic characteristics.
Years Available: 1969-present
Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria: The NHIS covers the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the United States living at the time of the interview. Persons excluded are patients in long-term care facilities; persons on active duty with the Armed Forces (though their dependents are included); and U.S. nationals living in foreign countries.
Methods: Household Interview
Sampling Design: Cross-sectional household interview survey. Sampling and interviewing are continuous throughout each year. The sampling plan follows a multistage area probability design that permits the
representative sampling of households.
Sample Size: 43,000 households including 106,000 individuals
Unit of Observation: household and individual
Limitations:
Data Format:
Publisher: CDC Center for Health Statistics
URL:
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm
Variables:
Local Contacts:
Dr. Eliseo Perez-Stable
Professor of Medicine
Department of General Internal Medicine
eliseops@medicine.ucsf.edu
Dr. Kathryn Phillips
Professor of Clinical Pharmacy
Department of Clinical Pharmacy
PhillipsK@pharmacy.ucsf.edu
Dr. Su-Ying Liang
Associate Researcher
Department of Clinical Pharmacy
LiangS@pharmacy.ucsf.edu