Advance Letter

Attachment 10a - Advance Letter
HEALTH & H
UM
OF
NT

VICES • U
SA
SER
AN

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

HIS-600(L) LOS ANGELES
(11-2016)

National Center for Health Statistics
3311 Toledo Road
Hyattsville, MD 20782

DEPAR
TM
E

From the Director of the United States National Center for Health Statistics
I’m Charles Rothwell, and I head the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), part of CDC
(the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). In partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau,
my agency is conducting a major survey about the nation’s health, and we need your help.
In the next few days, a Census Bureau interviewer will ask you some questions to see if you are
eligible for the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). For your protection, the interviewer will
show you an official identification card.
Your answers are used only for health research, and to help understand and solve today’s health
problems and anticipate future health issues. Quality health information is necessary to make good
decisions and sound policies. In this way, taking part in the survey indirectly benefits all Americans.
Strict federal laws protect your information. Questions 5 and 6 on the back of this letter describe
these laws and who may see your personal information.
I hope you will want to take part in the survey–it is your choice. No penalties or loss of benefits will
come from refusing.
The length of the interview will depend on the size and health of your family. Most interviews take
about an hour, but you can stop at any time and you can choose not to answer any question you
do not wish to answer. Health and health care information from other records may be combined
with your survey answers. You also may be given the choice to take part in other surveys
sponsored by the National Center for Health Statistics.
Please contact the Census Bureau, toll-free, at 1–800–992–3530, press 5, if you have questions
about the survey or to schedule an interview. About a week after the interview, some households
will be asked a few extra questions for quality purposes.
You can learn more about the survey at our website: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm
I know your time and privacy are valuable so I am very grateful for your help. Thank you for your
cooperation.

Sincerely,

Charles J. Rothwell
Director, National Center for Health Statistics
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
REGIONAL OFFICE
US CENSUS BUREAU
15350 SHERMAN WAY STE 400
VAN NUYS CA 91406-4203
1–800–992–3530, press 5

National Health Interview Survey
Since – 1957

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE
NATIONAL HEALTH INTERVIEW SURVEY (NHIS)
1. HOW WAS I CHOSEN FOR THE SURVEY?
Every month we pick between 5,300 and 5,500 home addresses across the entire U.S. We pick
addresses using scientific methods so they represent all communities in the U.S.
2. WHY NOT INTERVIEW AT THE HOUSE ACROSS THE STREET? WHY IS MY
PARTICIPATION IMPORTANT?
It is important that the people living at the selected address be in the survey. Due to the scientific
methods used to pick addresses, we cannot exchange one address for another. If we did that, the
survey results would not describe the entire country.
3. I AM NOT SICK – WHY SHOULD I TAKE PART IN A HEALTH SURVEY?
This is a survey of the Nation’s health. We want to know how many people are sick and why they
are sick, but it is also important to know how many people are healthy and why they are healthy.
Everyone’s answers are important. Congress authorized the NHIS data collection in Section 306 of the
Public Health Service Act (42 United States Code 242k).
4. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO ASK ME?
The NHIS covers a wide range of topics like doctor visits, medical conditions, health insurance, physical
activity, and injuries. We also ask questions that help us better understand the health information you
give us. For example, we ask about race, income, and permission to combine your answers with
information from other places, like medical records. Most people have no difficulty
with any of the questions in the NHIS. However, others find some questions to be sensitive. You do not
have to answer any questions you don’t want to.
5. WHO WILL SEE MY ANSWERS?
We take your privacy very seriously. The answers you give us are used for statistical research only.
This means that your answers will be combined with other people’s answers in a way that protects
everyone’s identity. As required by federal law, only those NCHS employees, our specially designated
agents (such as the U.S. Census Bureau), and our full research partners who must use your personal
information for a specific reason can see your answers. Anyone else is allowed to use your data only
after all information that could identify you and/or your family has been removed.
Strict laws prevent us from releasing information that could identify you or your family to anyone else
without your consent. A number of federal laws require that all information we collect be held in strict
confidence: Section 308(d) of the Public Health Service Act (42 United States Code 242m), the
Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA, Title 5 of Public Law
107-347), and the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. § 552a. Every NCHS employee, contractor, research
partner, and agent has taken an oath to keep your information private. Any NCHS employee, contractor,
or agent who willfully discloses ANY identifiable information could get a jail term of up to five years, a
fine of up to $250,000, or both. In addition, NCHS complies with the Federal Cybersecurity
Enhancement Act of 2015. This law requires the federal government to protect federal computer
networks by using computer security programs to identify cybersecurity risks like hacking, internet
attacks, and other security weaknesses.
6. WHAT DO MY ANSWERS HAVE TO DO WITH CYBERSECURITY?
The purpose of the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015 (6 U.S.C. §§ 151 & 151 note) is
NOT to read your and/or your family’s personal health information. The Act allows software programs to
scan information that is sent, stored on, or processed by government networks in order to protect the
networks from hacking, denial of service attacks, and other security threats. If any information is
suspicious, it may be reviewed for specific threats by computer network experts working for the
government (or contractors or agents who have governmental authority to do so). Only information
directly related to government network security is monitored. The Act further specifies that such
information may only be used for the purpose of protecting information and information systems from
cybersecurity risks.
7. WHO PROTECTS THE INTERESTS OF SURVEY PARTICIPANTS?
Every year, the Research Ethics Review Board (ERB) of the National Center for Health Statistics
reviews survey content and methods to protect study participants. You may call the ERB if you want to
ask about your rights as a participant in this research study. The toll-free number is 1–800–223–8118.
Please leave a brief message with your name and phone number. Say you are calling about Protocol #
2015-08. Your call will be returned promptly.
HIS-600L (11-2016)