NCHS has released the 2005 “Summary Health Statistics for U.S. Adults” (PDF) based on the NHIS data.

Some highlights of the report are:
- 62% reported excellent or very good health.
- 62% never participated in any type of vigorous leisure-time physical activity.
- 15% did not have a usual place of health care.
- 12% had been told by a doctor or health professional that they had heart disease.
- 22% had been told on two or more visits that they had hypertension.
- 21% were current smokers.
- 21% were former smokers.
- 35% of adults were overweight and 25% were obese.

NCHS has completed a linkage of several of its population based surveys with administrative data collected from the SSA and the CMS, which is available for research use through the NCHS Research Data Center (RDC). The 1994-1998 NHIS, the LSOA II, and the NHANES I and III have been linked to data on the receipt of retirement, survivors and disability insurance (RSDI) benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits from SSA as well as Medicare enrollment and utilization data from CMS.

Due to confidentiality requirements, access to these files is available only through the NCHS Research Data Center (RDC) which requires an application process and related fees. To learn if this linked data will meet your research needs you can look at a Linkage Rate Table (PDF). Chick here for more information about the Linked Data.

NCHS has announced the Early Release of Selected Estimates Based on Data From the January-June 2006 NHIS.

The 15 measures included are lack of health insurance coverage and type of coverage, usual place to go for medical care, obtaining needed medical care, receipt of influenza vaccination, receipt of pneumococcal vaccination, obesity, leisure-time physical activity, current smoking, alcohol consumption, human immunodeficiency virus testing, general health status, personal care needs, serious psychological distress, diagnosed diabetes, and asthma episodes and current asthma.

NCHS is releasing the early years of the NHIS data in five year waves. 1977-1996 have previously been released. If you are a PRI Associate and would like to use this data, please contact us, at library@pop.psu.edu, for acquisition.

The PRI Library has received an announcement from the National Center for Health Statistics for an analyst/ research fellow.

Comparing Federal Government Surveys that Count Uninsured People in America (PDF), a new report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, compares data from the Current Population Survey (CPS), National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), and Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). Despite their differences, all of these surveys show large and increasing numbers of uninsured Americans.

A study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health found that people who never married were more likely to die prematurely than those who were widowed or divorced. People with surviving marriages could expect to live the longest. The study authors used data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) merged with the National Death Index. (Science Blog)

From the DHIS of the NCHS this provisional report (PDF) states that most children (under the age of 18) are in very good health (82%).  View this report for a variety of information from asthma, dental health and school days missed to contact with health professionals.

The Employment and Disability Institute at Cornell University has published guides to disability statistics for several major datasets (all available in PDF format):

• Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP)
• Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID)
• National Health Interview Study (NHIS)
• National Health Interview Study (NHIS) Disability Supplement
• 2000 Decennial Census
• American Community Survey (ACS)

This website provides detailed information on race and Hispanic origin data from the NHIS data set.