Q and A Brochure

NSFG

The best health decisions
are based on the best
health information.

WHAT IS THE NATIONAL SURVEY OF
FAMILY GROWTH (NSFG)?

“CDC’s National Survey of Family Growth
is critical to help ensure that policies and
programs address the health needs of all
Americans. The survey provides important
statistical information on family growth,
health, and health care that can be used to
help people live stronger and healthier lives.
I urge you to take part in this important
survey to help us build a foundation for a
healthier America.”
Charles J. Rothwell

Director,
National Center for Health Statistics

Your household has been chosen to take part
in the NATIONAL SURVEY OF FAMILY GROWTH.
The NSFG is an important research study of
men, women and families. In this brochure,
we answer some of the questions people ask
about the study.

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The
National Survey
of
Family Growth

The National Survey of Family Growth
gathers information on family life, marriage
and divorce, pregnancy, infertility, use of
birth control, sexual experience, and men’s
and women’s health. The U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services uses the survey results. This information is used to plan
health services and educational programs.
The survey is authorized by a federal
law, Section 306(b)1(H) of the Public Health
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 242k), which asks us
to collect “statistics on family formation,
growth, and dissolution.”
The survey provides accurate national
statistics on critical issues like:
• People making choices about
school, work and having a family
• Women looking for a safe and
effective way to space their
children
• The health care that men and
women get, including family
planning and reproductive
health
• Risk for sexually transmitted
infections
• Child care services used by
working parents
• How programs for families and
children are working

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WHO IS DOING THE NATIONAL
SURVEY OF FAMILY GROWTH ?

The National Center for Health
Statistics (NCHS), part of the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in
the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, sponsors, designs, and distributes
the survey. NCHS has been conducting the
NSFG since 1973. NSFG is one of many
important surveys conducted by NCHS.
You can find out more about NCHS at
www.cdc.gov/nchs.
NCHS has contracted the University of
Michigan to conduct the fieldwork for the
NSFG. A professional, female interviewer
from the University of Michigan’s Survey
Research Center will come to your home
and find out if you are eligible for the study.
She will ask you questions and type your
answers into a laptop computer. You will
also get to answer some questions by putting
answers into the computer yourself.

HOW WAS I CHOSEN?

We do not know who lives at your
house or what your name is. We take a
sample of households from all across the
United States. When your interviewer
arrives, she will find out if there is
someone in your household we need to
include in our study.

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NSFG

WHY SHOULD I
PARTICIPATE?
WHY NOT
INTERVIEW
ACROSS THE
STREET?
We cannot talk
to all of the millions of men and women in
this country - that would cost too much and
take too long. So we scientifically select a
“sample” of households. We then choose one
person from some of those households to be
in the survey. Choosing the sample
scientifically lets us take the information we
learn and use it to better understand the whole
population. Once participants have been
chosen they cannot be replaced.

ARE THESE INTERVIEWS JUST FOR
FAMILIES, OR THOSE WITH CHILDREN?

No. If you do not have children, or live alone,
your responses are just as important to
the study as anyone else’s. You
will be asked only those questions that apply to you. For
example, we need to have
accurate information about
topics such as:
• How many people
are choosing not to have
children or to have them
later in life
• How long marriages
and other relationships last
• How often divorced
fathers see their children
• The need for
infertility services

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WILL MY ANSWERS
BE KEPT PRIVATE?

Yes. Strict laws
prevent NCHS 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
U.S.C. 242m(d)), 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,
agent, or contractor who willfully discloses ANY
identifiable information could get a jail term of
up to 5 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. If information
sent through government networks triggers a
cyber threat indicator, the information may be
intercepted and reviewed for cyber threats by
computer network experts working for, or on
behalf, of the government. The Act requires any
personal information that identifies you or your
family to be removed from suspicious files
before they are shared.

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WHERE DO I GET MORE
INFORMATION?
For study information:
•
•
•

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?

Interviews take about 60-80 minutes for most
adults. Interviews for teenagers take about 60
minutes. A few interviews take a little less or a little
more time. We will do the interview at the time
that works best for you. Also, for your help in being
part of this study, you will receive $40 as a token of
our appreciation.

DO I HAVE TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS?

Your help with this study is voluntary. Saying yes
or no to being in the study will not change any
benefits you get now or in the future.
Many people find the interview interesting and
enjoyable. Your participation is very important
because each person interviewed represents
thousands of others. Some of the questions may be
sensitive for some people. You may choose not to
answer any question for any reason and may stop
the interview at any time.
U.S. Department of Health
& Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention
National Center for Health
Statistics

Ask your interviewer
Visit the survey’s website at
www.cdc.gov/nchs/nsfg.htm
Call Dr. Anjani Chandra or
Dr. Gladys Martinez at NCHS
(toll-free): 1-866-227-8347

For information about your rights as a
participant:
•

Call the NCHS office set up to
oversee research (toll-free):
1-800-223-8118

To schedule an interview:
•

Call the University of Michigan
(toll-free): 1-855-891-8891

HOW WILL I RECOGNIZE THE
INTERVIEWER?

NCHS has contracted the University of
Michigan to conduct interviews for this study.
A professional, female interviewer from the
University of Michigan’s Survey Research
Center will come to your home and find out if
you are eligible for the study. The interviewer
who comes to your home will have a
University of Michigan identification badge
with her picture on it, the university logo, and
a Letter of Authorization from the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services.
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