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) which is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The National Health Survey Act of 1956 provided for a continuing survey and special studies to secure accurate and current statistical information on the amount, distribution, and effects of illness and disability in the United States and the services rendered for or because of such conditions. The survey referred to in the Act, now called the National Health Interview Survey, was initiated in July 1957. Since 1960, the survey has been conducted by NCHS, which was formed when the National Health Survey and the National Vital Statistics Division were combined. NHIS data are used widely throughout the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to monitor trends in illness and disability and to track progress toward achieving national health objectives. The data are also used by the public health research community for epidemiologic and policy analysis of such timely issues as characterizing those with various health problems, determining barriers to accessing and using appropriate health care, and evaluating Federal health programs. The NHIS also has a central role in the ongoing integration of household surveys in DHHS. The designs of two major DHHS national household surveys have been or are linked to the NHIS. The National Survey of Family Growth used the NHIS sampling frame in its first five cycles and the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey currently uses half of the NHIS sampling frame. Other linkage includes linking NHIS data to death certificates in the National Death Index (NDI). While the NHIS has been conducted continuously since 1957, the content of the survey has been updated about every 10-15 years. In 1996, a substantially revised NHIS questionnaire began field testing. This revised questionnaire, described in detail below, was implemented in 1997 and has improved the ability of the NHIS to provide important health information.

2019–present. The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) is a nationally representative household health survey of the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population. The NHIS data are used to monitor trends in illness and disability, track progress toward achieving national health objectives, for epidemiologic and policy analysis of various health problems, determining barriers to accessing and using appropriate health care, and evaluating Federal health programs. NHIS is conducted continuously throughout the year by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Public-use data files on adults and children with corresponding imputed income data files, and survey paradata are released annually. The NHIS data website (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/documentation/index.html) features the most up-to-date public-use data files and documentation for downloading including questionnaire, codebooks, CSV and ASCII data files, programs and sample code, and in-depth survey description. Most of the NHIS data are included in the public use files. NHIS is protected by Federal confidentiality laws that state the data collected by NCHS may be used only for statistical reporting and analysis. Some NHIS variables have been suppressed or edited in the public use files to protect confidentiality. Analysts interested in using data that has been suppressed or edited may apply for access through the NCHS Research Data Center at https://www.cdc.gov/rdc/. In 2019, NHIS launched a redesigned content and structure that differs from its previous questionnaire designs. NHIS has been conducted continuously since 1957.

These data are the part of the two National Health Surveys in the Republic of Serbia, conducted in 2006 and 2013, funded by the Ministry of Health. The survey was conducted in accordance with the methodology and instruments of the European Health Interview Survey wave 2. Both surveys were conducted as cross sectional studies. Population presented in the research included adults, aged 19 and more. The researches excluded people living on the territory of Kosovo and Metohija, as well as people with residence addresses in Special institutions (retirement homes, prisons, psychiatric clinics). Data on basic characteristics of the interviewees, health condition of the interviewees, using hospital and non-hospital health care services and prevention check-ups and unachieved need for health care was obtained through a face-to-face interview carried out at home, while information at the level of the household was obtained by means of a household questionnaire. The questions were validated instruments based on the standard questionnaires from similar types of surveys.

The National Health Survey of Spain 2017 (ENSE 2017), carried out by the Ministry of Health, Consumption and Social Welfare with the collaboration of the National Institute of Statistics, collects health information related to the population residing in Spain in 23,860 households. It is a five-yearly survey that allows knowing numerous aspects of the health of citizens at a national and regional level, and planning and evaluating actions in health matters. It consists of 3 questionnaires, household, adult and minor, which address 4 large areas: sociodemographic, health status, use of health services and health determinants.

The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) is conducted annually by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 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. The NHIS contains many similar questions every year. The repeated items are called "core questions." Beginning with a new NHIS design in 1997, these core questions were divided into three components -- Family, Sample Adult, and Sample Child. The 2012 NHIS data release consists of six core data files, a paradata file, the three Disability Questions Tests files, a Functioning and Disability file, and two Complementary and Alternative Medicine files. Users may see the Survey Description document for more details. The 2012 NHIS contains the core questions, as well as enhanced questions on health care access and utilization. Supplemental topics are covered in the following questionnaires: the Family questionnaire covers subjects of food security; the Sample Adult questionnaire covers subjects of immunization, complementary and alternative medicine, non-cigarette tobacco use, voice, speech, and language; and the Sample Child questionnaire covers subjects of mental health, mental health services, immunization, complementary and alternative medicine, balance, voice, speech, and language. Along with the 2012 NHIS core data files are the Disability Questions Tests 2012 files which contain person-level data collected via a field test of six disability questions. These supplemental questions appeared on the NHIS, at the end of the Family, Sample Adult, and Sample Child Cores. The Disability Questions Tests 2012 files are released as three separate files. A fourth disability supplement was also fielded in 2012 as part of the Sample Adult Core and is called "Adult Functioning and Disability Level." The Adult and Child Alternative Health Supplement files were intended to expand on knowledge of alternative medical services. Questions focus on how often various types of alternative therapies are used, the associated costs, and the reasons they are used. Lastly, the Paradata Level file contains information about the survey and data collection processes; included are data on response rates, keystrokes, interview times, and number of contact attempts.

Data source description - Adults: NHIS monitors the health of the U.S. population by collecting and analyzing data on a broad range of health topics. Interviews are conducted continuously throughout the year, and are initiated in-person, with telephone follow-up. NHIS focuses on the health of children and adults in the United States. One adult household member is randomly selected to be the subject of a detailed health interview. If children are present, one child is also randomly selected. Adults answer on their own behalf, while a knowledgeable adult answers on behalf of the selected child. NHIS topics featured include adult life satisfaction, anxiety, depression, mental health conditions, mental health care, and social and emotional support.

Data source description - Teenagers: NHIS-Teen was a web-based health survey of teenagers between the ages of 12 to 17. Answers from teenagers helped paint a picture of the health of teenagers living in the United States. NHIS-Teen covered questions on a variety of health topics, including doctor visits, mental health, and social and emotional support. Data were collected between July 2021 and December 2023. 

For additional information, please see: https://www.cdc.gov/mental-health/about-data/mental-health-data-sources.html" target ="_blank">Mental Health Data Sources.

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is a program of studies designed to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States. An ongoing annual survey combines interviews and physical examinations. The NHANES interview includes demographic, socioeconomic, dietary, and health-related questions. The examination component consists of medical, dental, and physiological measurements, as well as laboratory tests administered by highly trained medical personnel.

Ancillary studies include the NHANES National Youth Fitness Survey (NNYFS) and NHANES Epidemiologic Followup Study (NHEFS). NNYFS was conducted in 2012 to evaluate the physical activity and fitness of children aged 3 to 15 years old through interviews and fitness tests. NHEFS is a longitudinal survey of adults aged 25 to 74 years old in the NHANES I (1971-1975) cohort who completed a medical examination. Data was collected in follow-up rounds in 1982-1984, 1986, 1987, and 1992 through subject and proxy interviews and vital record search. Available data files include vital and tracing status, demographic information, interview data on health status, health care facility inpatient data, and mortality data.

These data are part of the 2013 National Health Survey for the population of Serbia (without data on Kosovo and Metohia), which was carried out by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia The survey was conducted in accordance with the methodology and instruments of the European Health Interview Survey wave 2 (EHIS-wave 2). Data on demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the respondents and their own health assessment was obtained through a face-to-face interview carried out at home, while information at the level of the household was obtained by means of a household questionnaire. The questions were validated instruments based on the standard questionnaires from similar types of surveys.

The basic 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. Household variables in this data collection include type of living quarters, size of family, number of families in household, and geographic region. Person variables include sex, age, race, marital status, veteran status, education, income, industry and occupation codes, and limits on activity. The Condition, Doctor Visit, and Hospital files contain information on each reported health condition, doctor visit within a two-week period, and hospitalization (12-month recall), respectively.

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 2011 NHIS Core components contain Household, Family, Person, Sample Adult, and Sample Child files. Each record in 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. Part 2, Family Level, is made up of reconstructed variables from the person-level data of the basic module and includes information on sex, age, race, marital status, education, veteran status, family income, family size, major activities, health status, health care costs, activity limits, and employment status, along with industry and occupation. As part of the basic module, Part 3, Person Level, provides information on all family members with respect to health status, limitation of daily activities, cognitive impairment, and health conditions. Also included are variables related to doctor visits, hospital stays, and health care access and utilization. Basic demographic information is provided as well. A randomly-selected adult in each family was interviewed for Part 4, Sample Adult Level, regarding respiratory conditions, renal conditions, AIDS, joint symptoms, health status, health care and doctor visits, limitation of daily activities, and behaviors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity. Part 5, 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 6 through 11 comprise the additional Supplements and Paradata for the 2011 NHIS. Part 6, Injury/Poison Episode, 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. Part 7, Adult Disability Level and Part 8, Child Disability Level, are a supplemental set of six questions asked at the end of the Sample Adult and Sample Child Questionnaires for half of families that did not receive the Family Disability Supplement. These specific disability questions were only asked of the Sample Adult and the Sample Child. Part 9, Family Disability Level, seeks to identify the subpopulation that is at a greater risk than the general population of experiencing restrictions in social participation, for example, restrictions in employment, education, or civic life. Specific questions ask about respondent difficulty performing daily activities, such as dressing, bathing, or walking. Approximately one half of sample adults were selected to receive the Part 10, Adult Functioning and Disability Level Supplement. Questions were asked about a respondent's functioning in various basic and complex activity domains: vision, hearing, mobility, communication, cognition, upper body, affect, pain, and fatigue. This supplement also included questions designed to capture an individual's ability to participate in society. Follow-up questions on the degree of difficulty, use of assistive devices, and functioning with assistance were included for most domains. Part 11, 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.

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 2009 NHIS contains the Household, Family, Person, Sample Adult, and Sample Child files from the basic module. Each record in 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. Part 2, Family Level, 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, Part 3, Person Level, provides information on all family members with respect to health status, limitation of daily activities, cognitive impairment, and health conditions. Also included are variables related to doctor visits, hospital stays, and health care access and utilization. A randomly-selected adult in each family was interviewed for Part 4, Sample Adult Level, regarding respiratory conditions, renal conditions, AIDS, joint symptoms, health status, limitation of daily activities, and behaviors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity. Part 5, Sample Child Level, 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. Part 6, Injury/Poison Episode, 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. Part 7, Injury/Poison Episode Verbatim, contains edited narrative text descriptions of the injury or poisoning, provided by the respondent. Part 8, Disability Questions Tests 2008/2009, provides information pertaining to four key areas of disability: Vision, hearing, mobility, and cognintive functioning. The data for Part 8 were collected over the span of five calendar quarters from October 2008 through the end of 2009. Part 9, Paradata, does not contain health related information, but rather data which are related to the interview process, including measures of time, contact-ability, and cooperation.

2014-15 merged, 2016-17 merged. This dataset is a de-identified summary table of vision and eye health data indicators from NHIS, stratified by all available combinations of age group, race/ethnicity, gender, and risk factor. NHIS is an annual household survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics at CDC that monitors trends in illness, disabilities, and progress towards national health objectives. Approximate sample size is 35,000 households and 87,500 persons annually. NHIS data for VEHSS includes questions related to Visual Function. Data were suppressed for cell sizes less than 30 persons, or where the relative standard error more than 30% of the mean. Data will be updated as it becomes available. Detailed information on VEHSS NHIS analyses can be found on the VEHSS NHIS webpage (link). Additional information about NHIS can be found on the NHIS website (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/about_nhis.htm). The VEHSS NHIS dataset was last updated in November 2019.

This data package contains the National Health Surveys. The NHIS is one of the major programs of data collection of the Nation Center for Health Satistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is a recopilation of information on the amount, distribution and effects of diseases and disability in the US.

NFHS-5 (2019-21)

The National Family & Health Survey (NFHS) is a survey in India that attempts to collect information on health conditions, nutrition, family planning, domestic violence, and a host of other factors through conducting surveys on a random ("representative") sample of Indian households in all states. The fifth NFHS was conducted through 2019-21, and the reports were released to the public in 2021 and can be found at this link. The original data was released as PDFs; this Kaggle dataset was created by extracting the tabular data from PDFs into JSONs.

What kind of information is collected in this survey?

Here's a non-comprehensive list of some indicators collected by this survey:

1. Female population age 6 years and above who ever attended school (%)
2. Women age 20-24 years married before age 18 years (%)
3. Institutional births in public facility (%)
4. Children with diarrhoea in the 2 weeks preceding the survey who received oral rehydration salts (ORS) (%)
5. Blood sugar level - high or very high (>140 mg/dl) or taking medicine to control blood sugar level (%)
6. Women age 15 years and above who use any kind of tobacco (%)

Major news outlets in India analysed the results of the study too - here are some interesting articles that show what sorts of "stories" or insights you van look for in this data:

• 50% women, kids in 14 states and UTs are anaemic: National Family Health Survey
• Latest Family Health Survey Proves Prohibition Has Not Worked In Bihar, Alcohol Consumption Is Rife
• Sex Ratio In India Was Estimated As 1,020 By National Family Health Survey During 2019 to 2021, Says MoS Health Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar
• A close reading of the NFHS-5, the health of India
• What the latest NFHS data says about the New Welfarism
• More hospital births, but limited gains in childhood nutrition: National Family Health Survey-5

Note: I used a Python script to parse the data automatically. I tried my best to make sure the data was parsed correctly, but there is a possibility that some data in JSON might not be 100% accurate - there is no way I could have manually verified all 704 PDF files and their outputs, so I randomly sampled and verified a couple of files, all of which looked okay. If you want to see the scripts used to parse this PDFs, please visit my GitHub repo.

Dataset cover photo by Naveed Ahmed on Unsplash.com

The basic 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. There are five types of records in this core survey, each in a separate data file. The variables in the Household File (Part 1) include type of living quarters, size of family, region, and type of sampling area. The Person File (Part 2) includes sex, age, race, marital status, veteran status, and education. These variables are found in the Condition, Doctor Visit, and Hospital Episode Files as well. The Person File also supplies data on height, weight, bed days, doctor visits, hospital stays, years at residence, and region variables. The Condition (Part 3), Doctor Visit (Part 4), and Hospital Episode (Part 5) Files contain information on each reported acute or chronic condition, doctor visit, or hospitalization, respectively. A sixth, seventh, and eighth file have been provided. The Health Insurance Supplement File (Part6) contains information on the type of health insurance held by each respondent from the Person file. Parts 7-8 comprise the Supplement on Aging (SOA) Files divided into Condition and Person Public Use Files respectively, and contain data on a subset of the NHIS population, those aged 55 and over. These files contain the same Condition and Person variables as Parts 2-3 but are supplemented by questions pertaining specifically to the subpopulation of older respondents. These additional variables cover family relationships and support, community and social support, occupation and retirement, nursing home stays, help with care, health opinions, and other health-related and social information about middle-aged and older people.

"The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) is a multi-purpose health survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and is the principal source of information on the health of the civilian, noninstitutionalized, household population in the United States. The NHIS has been conducted continuously since its beginning in 1957." (NHIS Survey Description, Public Use Data Release, December 2003).

The dataset contains state-wise National Family Health Survey (NFHS) compiled data on various family planning, childbirth, population, medical, health and other parameters which provide statistical indicators data on family profile and health status in India. There are 100+ indicators covered in the survey which broadly fall in the following categories: Health and Wellness, Maternal and Child Health, Family Planning and Reproductive Health, Disease Screening and Prevention, Social and Economic Factors, General Healthcare and Treatment

The different types of health data contained in the dataset include Anaemia among women and children, blood sugar levels and hypertension among men and women, tobacco and alcohol consumption among adults, delivery care and child feeding practices of women, quality of family planning services, screening of cancer among women, marriage and family, maternity care, nutritional status of women, child vaccinations and vitamin A supplementation, treatment of childhood diseases, etc.

Within these categories of health data, the dataset contains indicators data such as births attended by skilled health care professionals and caesarean section, number of children with under and heavy weight, stunted growth, their different vaccations status, male and female sterilization, consumption of iron folic acid among mothers, mother who had antenatal, postnatal, neonatal services, women who are obese and at the risk of weight to hip ratio, educational status among women and children, sanitation, birth and sex ratio, etc.

All of the data is compiled from the NFHS 4th and 5th survey reports. The The NFHS is a collaborative project of the International Institute for Population Sciences(IIPS), aimed at providing health data to strengthen India's health policies and programmes.

There are 100+ indicators covered in the survey which broadly fall in the following categories: Health and Wellness, Maternal and Child Health, Family Planning and Reproductive Health, Disease Screening and Prevention, Social and Economic Factors, General Healthcare and Treatment

The Australian National Health Survey (NHS), conducted every three years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), provides a nationally representative profile of Australians' health and wellbeing. The 2017-18 survey collected self-reported data on health, demographics, and lifestyle factors from both adults and children, offering valuable insights into the nation's health status and behaviors through a comprehensive sampling design.

Data from the Integrated Health Interview Survey. These data are archived to facilitate replication of Abowd and Schmutte (2017) "Revisiting the Economics of Privacy."http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/ldi/22/

The purpose of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) is to obtain information about the amount and the distribution of illness, its effects in terms of disability and chronic impairments, and the kinds of health services people receive. Household Record variables in this data collection include type of living quarters, size of family, number of families in the household, and geographic location. Person Record variables include sex, age, race, marital status, veteran status, education, income, industry and occupation codes, and limitations on activity. The Condition Record file contains information for each reported health condition, with specifics on injury and accident reports. The Doctor Visit Record file documents doctor visits within the time period and identifies acute or chronic conditions. The Hospital Episode Record file contains all recalled accounts of hospitalizations in the 12-month period. (Source: downloaded from ICPSR 7/13/10)

Please Note: This dataset is part of the historical CISER Data Archive Collection and is also available at ICPSR at https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR06534.v1. We highly recommend using the ICPSR version as they may make this dataset available in multiple data formats in the future.