Confidentiality Brochure

Attachment 9k

Data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) are released in printed reports and on the NCHS website at https://www.cdc.gov/nchs.

For more information on NHANES, visit the NHANES website at https://www.cdc.gov/ nhanes.

For any questions regarding NCHS or NHANES, contact:

National Center for Health Statistics

Information Dissemination Staff 3311 Toledo Road, MS P08 Hyattsville, MD 20782

Telephone:

1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636) TTY:

1-888-232-6348

Online request form: https://www.cdc.gov/info Internet: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs

protects the information you provide, contact:

Confidentiality Office, NCHS

Telephone:

1-888-642-4135

E-mail:

NATIONAL CENTER FOR HEALTH STATISTICS

How the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Keeps Your Information

CONFIDENTIAL

Protecting the public’s privacy

NCHS and NHANES

Our promise

The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) carried out the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in 1960. Today, more than 50 years later, the promise to protect the privacy of everyone remains our top priority. We believe this record is an important reason why so many people are willing to take part in the survey.

There’s safety in numbers, especially our numbers!

The law...

Assurance of Confidentiality: We take your privacy very seriously. All information that relates to or describes identifiable

characteristics of individuals, a practice, or an establishment will be used only for statistical purposes.

NCHS staff, contractors, and agents will not disclose or release responses in identifiable form without the consent of the individual or establishment in accordance with section 308(d) of the Public Health Service Act

(42 U.S.C. 242m(d)) and the Confidential

Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA, Title 5 of Public Law 107-347). In accordance with CIPSEA, every NCHS employee, contractor, and agent has taken an oath and is subject to a jail term of up to five years, a fine of

up to $250,000, or both if he or she willfully discloses ANY identifiable information about you.

The pledge…

Anyone working on the NHANES must sign a pledge. As specified in this written pledge, disclosing your private information is punishable by law.

The penalties…

People who break these laws can be fined up to $250,000, lose their job, or go to jail.

Other ways we protect your privacy

Those working for NCHS must also follow special rules for handling private information. These rules are meant to ensure that the privacy of the people taking part in NHANES is fully respected.

• Anything that could reveal who you are is removed. This includes, but is not limited to, your or your families’ names, addresses, phone numbers, and places of work.

• Data are not released if they are for a geographical location so small that the numbers might identify someone.

• Computers are password protected and data are encrypted for added security.

NCHS and NHANES

have a strong record for maintaining privacy during data collection processing.

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