National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) Restricted Variables

 

If researchers interested in using NHIS data find that something asked on the questionnaires does not have a corresponding variable in the public use data set, that variable may be restricted. The following list is not exhaustive, but it provides examples of NHIS variables that are restricted.

 

Geography  

Geography is most often used to add contextual data to NHIS data. The geocodes page lists what geographic codes are available for 1990-current NHIS.

 

Preliminary Quarterly Microdata Files  

 

Examples of Restricted Variables Used by Other Researchers

• Country of Birth and Related Immigration Variables (Person File)
• State and Year of Birth (Person File)
• Industry and Occupation Codes (Person File before 1997, Sample Adult 1997-present)
• Detailed Race and Hispanic Origin (Person File)
• Exact Dates (e.g., date of birth in Person File)

 

Restricted and Public Use Variable Lists *

• 1997-2003 NHIS [PDF - 447 KB] 
• 2004-2008 NHIS  [PDF - 563 KB]
• 2009-2011 NHIS  [PDF - 420 KB]

*All lists are sorted by question.

Detailed variable lists are not currently available for earlier years not shown. As they become available, they will be added to this page.