Name of Survey | abbrev. | sample years |
sample size | sampling frame | type of info | geog. | prog. info? |
Source |
National Longtitudinal Survey of Youth Children of the NLSY) |
NLSY79 | '79-08 | 11,431 | children of 1979 mothers | vital stats report limited exam |
region | yes | BLS |
National Longtitudinal Study of Adolescent Health | Add Health | '94-96 | 6,500 | US high school students | report limited exam school other |
? | yes | UNC |
National Incidence Studies of Child Abuse & Neglect | NIS-1 NIS-2 NIS-3 |
'79-80 '86-87 '94-96 |
26 counties 26 counties 42 counties |
US counties: reports of abuse & neglect |
report admin |
county | yes | NDA |
National Natality Surveys 1964-66 National Infant Mortality Surveys 1964-66 National Natality Surveys 1967-69 National Natality Survey 1972 |
NNS 64-66 NIMS 64-66 NNS 67-69 NNS 72 |
'64-66 '64-66 '67-69 '72 |
10,395 7,800 3,666 5,689 |
live births infant deaths live births live births |
vital stats | state | yes | NCHS |
National Natality Survey 1980 National Fetal Mortality Survey 1980 |
NNS 80 NFMS 80 |
'80 | 16,327 | live births +fetal deaths |
vital stats +admin |
state | yes | NCHS |
National Maternal and Infant Health Survey 1988 1991 Longitudinal Followup to the 1988 NMIS |
1988 1991 |
NMIS 88 1991 LF |
18,594 8,285 |
live births, fetal and infant deaths |
vital stats +admin |
state | yes | NCHS |
National Health Interview Surveys includes supplementary Current Health Topics eg: Youth Risk Behavior Surveys |
NHIS | 1969-- | ~40,000 hh/yr | civilian non-inst. population (by household) |
report | SMSA # region |
varies | NCHS |
National Survey of Family Growth Cycle I National Survey of Family Growth Cycle II National Survey of Family Growth Cycle III National Survey of Family Growth Cycle IV National Survey of Family Growth Cycle IV (reinterview) National Survey of Family Growth Cycle V |
NSFG-I NSFG-II NSFG-III NSFG-IV NSFG-IV f/u NSFG-V |
1973 1976 1982 1988 1990 1995 |
9,797 8,611 7,969 8,450 5,686 10,847 |
married women 15-44 married women 15-44 all women 15-44 all women 15-44 all women 15-44 NHIS, women 15-44 |
vital stats vital stats+ vital stats+ vital stats+ vital stats+ vital stats+ |
region | yes | NCHS |
National Health Examination Survey,Cycle I National Health Examination Survey,Cycle II National Health Examination Survey,Cycle III |
NHES I NHES II NHES III |
'59-62 '63-65 '66-70 |
6,672 7,119 6,768 |
adults 18-79 children 6-11 youth 12-17 |
exam | region | yes | NCHS |
1st National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2nd National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 3rd National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey |
NHANES I NHANES II HHANES NHANES III |
'71-75 '76-80 '82-84 '88-94 |
23,808 20,322 11,653 33,994 |
12 months-74 years 6 months-74 years 6 months-74 years 2 months-74+ years |
exam | region | yes | NCHS |
National Medical Expenditure Survey I National Medical Care Utilization and Expenditure Survey National Medical Expenditure Survey II |
NMES-1 NMCUES NMES-2 |
1977 1980 1987 |
40,320 17,123 35,000 |
civilian non-inst. population |
admin | region | much | NCHS |
Medical Expenditure Panel Survey | MEPS | 1996-- | 24,676 | 1995 NHIS | admin | region | much | AHCPR |
National Hospital Discharge Survey | NHDS | 1970-- | ~260,000/year | non-federal short-stay hospitals | admin | region | yes | NCHS |
National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey National Hospital Ambulatory Care Survey National Survey of Ambulatory Surgery |
NAMCS NHAMCS NSAS |
1973-- 1992-- 1994 |
~40,000/year ~50,000/year 117,861 |
medical office visits emergency & clinic visits ambulatory surgical visits |
admin | region | yes | NCHS |
National Master Facility Inventory Inventory of Long Term Care Places |
NMFI ILTCP |
71-76 71-86 |
7,271 41,019 |
100% lists of US hospitals and residential care facilities |
admin (limited) |
exact | yes | NCHS |
Bureau of Health Professions Area Resource File | ARF | 1940-- | 3,082 counties |
inventory of all health facilities, health professionals, and other health indicators by county, whole USA |
admin (limited) |
county, SMSA |
yes | BHPr |
Natality public-use files fetal deaths public-use files linked infant birth-death files mortality:underlying cause of death mortality:multiple cause of death |
1968-- 1982-- 1983-- 1968-- 1968-- |
~4,000,000/yr ~60,000/yr ~4,000,000/yr ~2,000,000/yr ~2,000,000/yr |
100% of universe | vital stats | SMSA | none | NCHS | |
National death index | NDI | 1979-- | ~2,000,000/yr | 100% of universe | vital stats | State | none | NDI |
for international comparisons: Demographic and Health Surveys |
DHS | 1984-- | varies | Africa, Asia, Near East Latin America |
vital stats exams admin report |
country &other |
yes | DHS |
A SAS program to calculate categories of birthweight below the 10th and 25th percentiles of gestational age is available from this site.