DOI: 10.3886/icpsr36144
title: National Health Interview Survey, 2010
title: Archival Version

description: These data are being released in BETA version to facilitate early access to the study for research purposes. This collection has not been fully processed by NACDA or ICPSR at this time; the original materials provided by the principal investigator were minimally processed and converted to other file types for ease of use. As the study is further processed and given enhanced features by ICPSR, users will be able to access the updated versions of the study. Please report any data errors or problems to user support and we will work with you to resolve any data related issues. The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) is conducted annually and sponsored by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), which is part of the U.S. Public Health Service. The purpose of the 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 across the United States population through the collection and analysis of data on a broad range of health topics. The redesigned NHIS questionnaire introduced in 1997 (see National Health Interview Survey, 1997 [ICPSR 2954]) consists of a core that remains largely unchanged from year to year, plus an assortment of supplements varying from year to year. The 2010 NHIS Core consists of three modules: Family, Sample Adult, and Sample Child. The datasets derived from these modules include Household Level, Family Level, Person Level, Injury/Poison Episode Level, Injury/Poison Verbatim Level, Sample Adult Level, and Sample Child level. The 2010 NHIS supplements consist of stand alone datasets for Cancer Level and Quality of Life data derived from the Sample Adult core and Disability Questions Tests 2010 Level derived from the Family core questionnaire. Additional supplementary questions can be found in the Sample Child dataset on the topics of cancer, immunization, mental health, and mental health services and in the Sample Adult dataset on the topics of epilepsy, immunization, and occupational health. Part 1, Household Level, 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. Parts 2-5 are based on the Family Core questionnaire. Part 2, Family Level, provides information on all family members with respect to family size, family structure, health status, limitation of daily activities, cognitive impairment, health conditions, doctor visits, hospital stays, health care access and utilization, employment, income, participation in government assistance programs, and basic demographic information. Part 3, Person Level, includes information on sex, age, race, marital status, education, family income, major activities, health status, health care costs, activity limits, and employment status. Parts 4 and 5, Injury/Poisoning Episode Level and Injury/Poisoning Verbatim Level, consist of questions about injuries and poisonings that resulted in medical consultations for any family members and contains information about the external cause and nature of the injury or poisoning episode and what the person was doing at the time of the injury or poisoning episode, in addition to the date and place of occurrence. A randomly-selected adult in each family was interviewed for Part 6, Sample Adult Level, regarding specific health issues, the relation between employment and health, health status, health care and doctor visits, limitation of daily activities, immunizations, and behaviors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity. Demographic information, including occupation and industry, also was collected. The respondents to Part 6 also completed Part 7, Cancer Level, which consists of a set of supplemental questions about diet and nutrition, physical activity, tobacco, cancer screening, genetic testing, family history, and survivorship. Part 8, Sample Child Level, provides information from an adult in the household on medical conditions of one child in the household, such as developmental or intellectual disabilities, respiratory problems, seizures, allergies, and use of special equipment like hearing aids, braces, or wheelchairs. Parts 9 through 13 comprise the additional Supplements and Paradata for the 2010 NHIS. Part 9, Disability Questions Tests 2010 Level, is a supplemental set of six questions asked at the end of the Family Core questionnaire about sensory, mobility, self-care, cognition, and independent living issues. Part 10, Paradata Level, does not contain health related information, but rather data which are related to the interview process, including measures of time, contact-ability, and cooperation. Please see the User Guide for additional information and details. Part 11, Quality of Life Level, was asked to a randomly selected subsection of the Sample Adult questionnaire. Respondents were asked about participation in society, degree of difficulty and functioning in activity domains including vision, hearing, mobility, upper body, learning, cognition, affect, pain, fatigue, and communication. Part 12, Special Sample Adult Disability Weights Level, contains weights for use with an analysis of the merged data from the Sample Adult Level and Disability Questions Tests 2010 Level. Part 13, Sample Child Birth Weights Level, contains corrected birth weight data for 2010. Please see the Survey Description files for additional information and details.
description: 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.
description: The data are not weighted. These data contain multiple weight variables for each part which must be used in any analysis. Users should refer to the Survey Description for further information regarding the weights, their use, and their derivation.
description: Response Rates: Household: 79.5% Family (final): 70.7% Sample Adult (final): 60.8%
description: The sample design follows a multistage area probability design that permits the representative sampling of households and non-institutional group quarters (e.g., college dormitories). In order to increase the precision of estimates of the Black, Hispanic, and Asian populations, the current NHIS sample design oversamples Black persons, Hispanic persons, and Asian persons. In addition, the sample adult selection process provides that when Black, Hispanic, or Asian persons aged 65 years or older are present, they have an increased chance of being selected as the sample adult. For more information on sampling, please refer to the Survey Description document.
description: Datasets: DS0: Study-Level Files DS1: Household Level DS2: Family Level DS3: Person Level DS4: Injury/Poison Episode Level DS5: Injury/Poison Verbatim Level DS6: Sample Adult Level DS7: Cancer Level DS8: Sample Child Level DS9: Disability Questions Tests 2010 Level DS10: Paradata Level DS11: Quality of Life Level DS12: Special Sample Adult Disability Weights Level DS13: Sample Child Birth Weights Level
description: Civilian, non-institutionalized population of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Smallest Geographic Unit: Region (and pseudo-PSU)
description: computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI); face-to-face interview; telephone interviewThese data are being released in BETA version to facilitate early access to the study for research purposes. This collection has not been fully processed by NACDA or ICPSR at this time; the original materials provided by the principal investigator were minimally processed and converted to other file types for ease of use. As the study is further processed and given enhanced features by ICPSR, users will be able to access the updated versions of the study. Please report any data errors or problems to user support and we will work with you to resolve any data related issues.Please note that file names referenced in the P.I. documentation do not align with the names of files released by ICPSR.For more information about the National Health Interview Survey, visit the National Health Interview Survey Web site.