NHIS Linked Mortality Restricted-use Files

 

Data File Description

The updated NHIS Linked Mortality Restricted-use Files provide mortality follow-up data for the NHIS years 1986-2004 from the date of interview through December 31, 2006. Mortality ascertainment is based primarily upon the results from a probabilistic match between NHIS and NDI death certificate records. Each NHIS survey year (1986-2004) is available on a separate data file. Additional death certificate data are available by special request [PDF - 125 KB]. The NHIS Linked Mortality Restricted-use data files do not contain perturbed data.

 

Data Availability

Due to confidentiality requirements, the NHIS Linked Mortality Restricted-use data are accessible only through the NCHS Research Data Center (RDC). Approved researchers will be able to analyze data from the NHIS Restricted-use Linked Mortality Files in the RDC. All interested researchers must submit a research proposal to the RDC requesting to access the "2009 NHIS Restricted-use LMF". Special request variables [PDF - 125 KB], available separately, must be requested specifically, with additional justification, in the RDC proposal. Researchers will not be allowed to access variables from the NHIS Public-use Linked Mortality Files in the RDC.

 

List of Variables at a Glance

• NHIS Public-use ID
• Eligibility status
• Final mortality status
• Date of death
• Age at death
• Age when last presumed alive
• Underlying cause of death codes (ICD-9 and ICD-10)
• Underlying cause of death recodes (ICD-9 and ICD-10)
• Multiple cause of death entity axis codes
• Multiple cause of death record axis codes
• Adjusted sample weights
• Date of birth
• Date of NHIS interview
• Age at NHIS interview

 

Data File Technical Characteristics

The NHIS Linked Mortality Restricted-use Data Files are available in SAS formats. The following list provides the number of file records per survey.

• NHIS 1986 62,052
• NHIS 1987 122,859
• NHIS 1988 122,310
• NHIS 1989 116,929
• NHIS 1990 119,631
• NHIS 1991 120,032
• NHIS 1992 128,412
• NHIS 1993 109,671
• NHIS 1994 116,179
• NHIS 1995 102,467
• NHIS 1996 63,402
• NHIS 1997 103,477
• NHIS 1998 98,785
• NHIS 1999 97,059
• NHIS 2000 100,618
• NHIS 2001 100,761
• NHIS 2002 93,386
• NHIS 2003 92,148
• NHIS 2004 94,460

 

List of Data File Variables Available by Special Request

• NHIS Linked Mortality Files - Detailed Notes for Special Request Variables [PDF - 240 KB]

 

Documentation Contents

• File layout and detailed notes for selected variables [PDF - 268 KB] (Updated February 12, 2010)
• Underlying and multiple causes of death [PDF - 211 KB]