NCHS’s Division of Health Interview Statistics, who coordinate the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), released selected key estimates on health status, health insurance coverage, health care service access and use, and health behaviors based on data from July 2020─March 2021 as part of the NHIS Early Release Program.
The 2020 NHIS public-use data file and documentation will be released later this fall. This data release is unique because it will also include a longitudinal component, allowing researchers to compare responses from 2019 and 2020 for the same individuals. In addition, questions were added to the sample adult and sample child interview in July 2020 (and continued in 2021) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These questions cover topics such as COVID-19 testing, changes in cancer care, social distancing at work, delayed medical care due to the pandemic, telemedicine use, changes in caregiving received, and social support.
NCHS is excited to share more updates with partners as these files and data visualization tools are released throughout the fall. Find all of the newly released reports and estimates on NCHS’s Release Schedule.