Overview of the 2019 National Health Interview Survey Questionnaire Redesign

Data System. Federal health surveys, like the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), represent important surveillance mechanisms for collecting timely, representative data that can be used to monitor the health and health care of the US population. Data Collection/Processing. Conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), NHIS uses an address-based, complex clustered sample of housing units, yielding data representative of the civilian noninstitutionalized US population. Survey redesigns that reduce survey length and eliminate proxy reporting may reduce respondent burden and increase participation. Such were goals in 2019, when NCHS implemented a redesigned NHIS questionnaire that also focused on topics most relevant and appropriate for surveillance of child and adult health. Data Analysis/Dissemination. Public-use microdata files and selected health estimates and detailed documentation are released online annually. Public Health Implications. Declining response rates may lead to biased estimates and weaken users’ ability to make valid conclusions from the data, hindering public health efforts. The 2019 NHIS questionnaire redesign was associated with improvements in the survey’s response rate, declines in respondent burden, and increases in data quality and survey relevancy. (Am J Public Health. 2023;113(4):408–415. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.307197 )