U.S. National Health Interview Survey:

Injury Questions

Li-Hui Chen, MS, PhD

ICE on Injury Statistics Washington DC 2006

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICESCenters for Disease Control and PreventionNational Center for Health Statistics

• Sampled Population: civilian, noninstitutionalized, household population of the US

• Survey Method: computer-assisted personal interviewing

• Respondent: any family member in selected household

Basic Information:National Health Interview Survey

• Recall: 3 months prior to the interview

• Severity threshold: medical advice or treatment

• Information: external cause, injury diagnosis, activity, place of occurrence, hospitalization, work or school day loss, caused any limitation of activity

• ICD codes: ICD-9-CM diagnostic codes, and ICD-9-CM external cause codes are available.

Injury and poisoning episodes

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005Year

Injuries PoisoningsSeparate screener questions Separate

screener questionsCombined screener questions

Annual estimatesof injury and poisoning episodes

Episodes in millions

*NHIS had a major redesign in 1997

Visit us at: Visit us at: www.cdc.gov/nchs/injury.htmwww.cdc.gov/nchs/injury.htm

Email us at: nchsinjury@cdc.govEmail us at: nchsinjury@cdc.gov

Screener questions forInjury and Poisoning Data1997-1999

• Mention of importance of injury: Yes• Question for injury:

DURING THE PAST THREE MONTHS, that is since {91 days before today date}, {were/was}{you/anyone in the family} injured seriously enough that {you/they} got medical advice or treatment?

• Question for poisoning:DURING THE PAST THREE MONTHS, that is since {91 days before today’s date}, did {you/anyone in the family} have a poisoning that caused someone to seek medical advice or treatment, including calls to a poison control center?

Screener questions forInjury and Poisoning Data2000-2003

• Mention of importance of injury: No

• Question for injury and poisoning: DURING THE PAST THREE MONTHS, that is since

{91 days before today date}, {were/was} {you/anyone in the family} injured or poisoned seriously enough

that {you/they} got medical advice or treatment?

Screener questions forInjury and Poisoning Data2004-2005

• Mention of importance of injury: Yes• Question for injury:

DURING THE PAST THREE MONTHS, that is since [fill1: (date 91 days before today's date)], [fill2: did you/did you or anyone in your family have an injury where any part of [fill3: your/the] body was hurt, for example, with a [fill4: (random set of injury examples)]?

• Question for poisoning: DURING THE PAST THREE MONTHS, that is since [fill1: (date 91 days before today's date)], [fill2: were you/ were you or anyone in your family poisoned by swallowing or breathing in a harmful substance such as bleach, carbon monoxide, or too many pills or drugs? Do not include food poisoning, sun poisoning, or poison ivy rashes