2011 Public-Use Linked Mortality Files

Public-use Linked Mortality Files (LMF) are available for 1986-2009 NHIS, NHANES III, 1999-2010 NHANES, and LSOA II and include a limited set of mortality variables for adult participants only. The public-use versions of the NCHS Linked Mortality Files were subjected to data perturbation techniques to reduce the risk of participant re-identification. For selected decedent records, synthetic data were substituted for the actual date and underlying cause of death. Information regarding vital status was not perturbed.

A public-use 2015 Linked Mortality File is anticipated in 2018.

Data Files and Data Dictionaries

• Introduction & Read-Me: Public-Use 2011 LMF [PDF – 89 KB]
• Public-Use Data Dictionary: Public-Use 2011 LMF Data Dictionary [PDF – 390 KB]
• Public-Use Linked Mortality Files: FTP Site
• Software Programs:
  • Sample SAS program [SAS – 7 KB]
  • Sample Stata program [DO – 6 KB]

Comparability with Restricted-Use Files

Refer to the Data Linkage Team’s online report – “Comparative Analysis of the NHIS Public-Use and Restricted-Use Linked Mortality Files: 2015 Public-Use Data Release” [PDF – 1.06 MB] – for an examination of mortality between the public- and restricted-use files.

For more information about accessing the restricted-use mortality files, please consult the Restricted-Use Linked Mortality Data page.