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 thekinds of health services people receive. Implementation of aredesigned NHIS, consisting of a basic module, a periodic module, anda 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 andPoison Episode data files from the basic module. Each record in theHousehold-Level File (Part 1) contains data on type of livingquarters, number of families in the household responding and notresponding, and the month and year of the interview for each samplingunit.The Family-Level File (Part 2) is made up of reconstructedvariables from the person-level data of the basic module and includesinformation on sex, age, race, marital status, Hispanic origin,education, veteran status, family income, family size, majoractivities, health status, activity limits, and employment status,along with industry and occupation. As part of the basic module, thePerson-Level File (Part 3) provides information on all family memberswith respect to health status, limitation of daily activities,cognitive impairment, and health conditions. Also included are data onyears at current residence, region variables, height, weight, beddays, doctor visits, hospital stays, and health care access andutilization. A randomly-selected adult in each family was interviewedfor the Sample Adult File (Part 4) regarding respiratory conditions,renal conditions, AIDS, joint symptoms, health status, limitation ofdaily activities, and behaviors such as smoking, alcohol consumption,and physical activity. Also included in this file are variablespertaining to the Healthy People 2010 Objectives. The Sample ChildFile (Part 5) provides information from an adult in the household onmedical conditions of one child in the household, such as respiratoryproblems, seizures, allergies, and use of special equipment such ashearing aids, braces, or wheelchairs. Also included are variablesregarding child behavior, the use of mental health services, andAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The ChildImmunization File (Part 6) presents information from shot records andsupplies vaccination status, along with the number and dates of shots,and information about the chicken pox vaccine. Episode-basedinformation regarding injuries and poisonings are found in the Injuryand Poison Episode File (Part 7), which examines the cause and date ofinjury or poisoning, loss of time from work or school, and whether theepisode resulted in hospitalization. Information in the Injury andPoison Verbatim File (Part 8) is comprised of narrative textdescribing injuries, including type of injury, how the injuryoccurred, and the body part injured.