NHIS Linked Mortality Files

Description of the NHIS Linked Mortality Files

NCHS has updated the mortality linkage of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) years 1986-2004 to death certificate data found in the National Death Index (NDI). The updated NHIS Linked Mortality Files provide mortality follow-up data from the date of NHIS interview through December 31, 2006. Mortality ascertainment is based primarily upon the results from a probabilistic match between NHIS and NDI death certificate records. Linkage of the NHIS survey participants with the NDI provides the opportunity to conduct studies designed to investigate the association of a variety of health factors with mortality, using the richness of the NHIS questionnaires. NCHS recommends that researchers use these new linked mortality files as they supersede all prior data releases of the NHIS Linked Mortality Files.

There are two versions of the NHIS Linked Mortality Files: public-use files that include a limited set of mortality variables for adult NHIS participants and restricted-use files that includes more detailed mortality information and mortality follow-up for children. Each NHIS survey year (1986-2004) is available on a separate date file.

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