DOI: 10.3886/icpsr04606.v1
title: National Health Interview Survey, 2005
title: Version 1

description: 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 2005 NHIS contains the Household, Family,
 Person, Sample Adult and Sample Child 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,
 use of nasal spray, renal conditions, AIDS, joint symptoms, health
 status, limitation of daily activities, and behaviors such as smoking,
 alcohol consumption, and physical activity. 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 like
 hearing aids, braces, or wheelchairs. Also included are variables
 regarding child behavior, the use of mental health services, and
 Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as well as responses
 to the SDQ-EX, which is the extended version of the Strengths and
 Difficulties questionnaire on child mental health. The 2005 data
 contain the Child Mental Health Brief (CMB), Child Mental Health
 Services (CMS) and Child Influenza Immunization (CFI) sections. The
 Injury/Poison Episode File (Part 6) is an episode-based file that
 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. The Injury/Poison Episode Verbatim File (Part 7) contains
 edited narrative text descriptions of the injury or poisoning,
 provided by the respondent. The Sample Adult Cancer File (Part 8) has
 been added in 2005 and examines diet and nutrition, physical activity,
 tobacco use, cancer screening, genetic testing, and family history.
 Imputed income files for 2005 are now available through the NCHS Web
site at www.cdc.gov/nhis.
description: These data contain multiple weight variables for each part.
 Users should refer to the User Guide for further information regarding
 the weights and their derivation. Additionally, users may need to
weight the data prior to analysis.
description: The NHIS uses a stratified multistage probability design.
 The sample for the NHIS is redesigned every decade using population
 data from the most recent decennial Census. A redesigned sample was
 implemented in 1995. This new design includes a greater number of
 primary sampling units (PSUs) (from 198 in 1994 to 358), and a more
 complicated nonresponse adjustment based on household screening and
 oversampling of Black and Hispanic persons, for more reliable
estimates of these groups.
description: Datasets: 
DS0: Study-Level Files
DS1: Household Level
DS3: Person Level
DS4: Sample Adult Level
DS5: Sample Child Level
DS6: Injury/Poison Episode Level
DS7: Injury Verbatim Level
DS8: Sample Adult Cancer File
description: Civilian, noninstitutionalized population of the 50 states
and the District of Columbia.
description: face-to-face interview(1) The User Guide contains information regarding the
 merging of files and the use of weight variables, along with
 information regarding changes to the 2005 NHIS. (2) Beginning in 2005,
 the NHIS no longer allows an emancipated minor (someone between the
 ages of 14-17 and living on their own without supervision of an adult
 family member or legal guardian) to be an eligible respondent or a
 sample adult or sample child. An emancipated minor is not eligible to
 be the respondent for the Sample Child questionnaire even if they are
 the parent of the sample child. (3) Questionnaires have been provided
 in both English and Spanish. (4) The Injury/Poison Episode Verbatim
 File (Part 7) is available only with SPSS and SAS setup files. (5) To
 learn more about the National Health Interview Survey, visit the
 Centers for Disease Control
 and Prevention (CDC Web site). At that site you can join the
 HISUSERS e-mail list by providing your name and e-mail address,
 selecting the item, "National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)
researchers", and clicking on "subscribe".