NHANES III Linked Mortality File

Description of the NHANES III Linked Mortality File

NCHS has updated the mortality linkage of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) to death certificate data found in the National Death Index (NDI). The updated NHANES III Linked Mortality File provides mortality follow-up data from the date of NHANES III survey participation (1988-1994) through December 31, 2006. Mortality ascertainment is based upon the results from a probabilistic match between NHANES III and NDI death certificate records. Linkage of the NHANES III survey participants with the NDI provides the opportunity to conduct a vast array of outcome studies designed to investigate the association of a wide variety of health factors with mortality. NCHS recommends that researchers use the new linked mortality file as it supersedes the prior data release of the NHANES III Linked Mortality File.

There are two versions of the NHANES III Linked Mortality File: a public-use file that includes a limited set of mortality variables for adult NHANES III participants and a restricted-use file that includes more detailed mortality information and mortality follow-up for children.

Data Files

Public-use Data (Updated linkage – mortality data through 2006)
Restricted-use Data (Updated linkage – mortality data through 2006)

Methods

Analytic Support

Contacts

Data Linkage Team
Office of Analysis and Epidemiology
National Center for Health Statistics
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
3311 Toledo Road, Room 6435
Hyattsville, MD 20782
E-mail: datalinkage@cdc.gov