Data Access

NHIS Linked Mortality Public-use Files

Data File Description

The updated NHIS Linked Mortality Public-use Files provide mortality follow-up data for the NHIS years 1986-2004 from the date of interview through December 31, 2006. The public-use versions of the NHIS Linked Mortality Files were subjected to data perturbation techniques to reduce the risk of respondent re-identification while increasing the accessibility of NCHS micro data files. Synthetic data was substituted for the actual date and underlying cause of death data for selected decedent records. Information regarding vital status was not perturbed. The restricted-use versions of the NHIS Linked Mortality Files are not subjected to data perturbation techniques. NCHS has conducted a comparative analysis [PDF - 167 KB] of results obtained from the public-use and restricted-use NHIS Linked Mortality Files.

List of Variables at a Glance

NHIS Public-use ID
Eligibility status
Final mortality status
Mortality source
Quarter of death
Year of death
113 Underlying cause of death codes (ICD-9 and ICD-10)
Adjusted sample weights
Multiple Cause of Death Flags

Data File Technical Characteristics

The NHIS Linked Mortality Public-use data files are available in ASCII file formats. The following list provides the number of file records per survey.