Advance Letter

HEALTH & H
UM
OF
NT

VICES ● U
SA
SER
AN

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

DEPAR
TM
E

Attachment 10a 2021 NHIS ADVANCE LETTER

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Health Statistics
3311 Toledo Road
Hyattsville, MD 20782

Your address has been selected to participate in the 2021 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).

What is
the NHIS?

The NHIS is the oldest household health survey in the United States. It is conducted by
the National Center for Health Statistics, a part of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Census Bureau is contracted to collect the data. Since
1957, NHIS data has shown whether Americans’ health is getting better or worse and
which groups of people are more likely to have health problems. This helps the CDC
and other organizations develop programs to keep America healthy. To learn more, see
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm.

What to
do now

Call 1–800–992–3530, then press 5 to schedule your appointment at a time that is
convenient for you including days, evenings, and weekends. For most households, the
interview will take less than an hour.

• Help kids. Public health workers use NHIS data to improve programs that keep kids
Why
should I
participate?

•
•
•

What to
expect

and families healthy.
Help adults. Doctors use NHIS data to identify factors that help adults live longer,
healthier lives.
Help veterans. Veterans groups use NHIS data to track veterans’ health and
advocate for better programs.
Help your family members, friends, and community. NHIS data helps
researchers understand how we can achieve and sustain the good health we all want
for ourselves and for the people we love.

1. A U.S. Census Bureau interviewer (with Census Bureau ID) will come to your home.
2. He/she will ask you a few questions about the persons living at this address.
3. A computer will randomly pick one adult and one child (if present) for the health interview.
4. The interviewer will ask an adult about his/her own health and a family member about the
health of a child.
You Cannot be Replaced. We want the survey to represent the whole United
States. The only way to do this is to randomly select addresses. Only people who live
at these addresses take part. We rely on you to make the survey results as accurate as
possible. Participation is voluntary, but we cannot replace you with another person.
Confidentiality Ensured. Everything you tell us is confidential. Your information is
ONLY used for statistical purposes. We remove all personally-identifying information
from the data. After that, the data is posted on the NHIS website for future research or
to guide public health decisions.

Thank you for participating in this important survey.
Sincerely,

Brian C. Moyer, Ph.D.
Director, National Center for Health Statistics
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

HIS-600(L)(C) (5-2020)
U.S. Census Bureau,
Los Angeles Regional Office

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE
NATIONAL HEALTH INTERVIEW SURVEY (NHIS)
1. HOW WAS I CHOSEN FOR THE SURVEY?
Your address was randomly selected from all of the addresses in the U.S. We do not know who lives at
each address. Every month we pick between 5,350 and 5,650 home addresses across the entire country.
Everyone has a chance to be picked. This process ensures that the addresses selected represent
everyone in the United States.
2. WHY NOT INTERVIEW AT THE HOUSE ACROSS THE STREET? WHY IS MY
PARTICIPATION IMPORTANT?
You are important! The people across the street are not the same as you. We cannot swap one address
for another. If we did that, the survey results would not accurately 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. We also want to know how many people are healthy and what makes them healthy. Everyone’s
answers are important.
4. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO ASK ME?
The NHIS asks about a lot of things. We will ask about doctor visits, medical conditions, health insurance,
and other topics. We also ask questions to understand the health information you give us. For example,
we ask about race and income. We will also ask if it is okay 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.
You might find some questions to be sensitive. You may choose not to answer any or all questions in this
survey and can stop at any time. There are no penalties for refusing to answer questions. However, the
information we collect is very important. We need your help to ensure that the survey results are
complete and correct. You are getting a special chance to make a difference in the health of the nation.
5. CAN I COMPLETE THE SURVEY ONLINE?
One of the reasons that the NHIS is the U.S. gold standard health survey is that the data are collected by
highly trained and skilled U.S. Census Bureau interviewers. There is no online option for the NHIS.
6. WHO WILL SEE MY ANSWERS?
NCHS collects and uses information you provide in accordance with System of Records Notice
09-20-0164, Health and Demographic Surveys Conducted in Probability Samples of the United States
(https://www.cdc.gov/SORNnotice/09-20-0164.htm). We take your privacy very seriously. We combine
your answers with other people’s answers in a way that keeps everyone’s identity secret. As required by
federal law, your identity can be seen only by those NCHS employees and specially designated agents
(such as the U.S. Census Bureau) who need that information for a specific reason. No one else can see
your answers until all information that could identify you and/or your family has been removed.
7. WHAT LAWS PROTECT MY PRIVACY?
Congress authorized the NHIS data collection in Section 306 of the Public Health Service Act (42 United
States Code 242k). Strict federal laws prevent us from releasing information that could identify you or
your family to anyone else without your permission. These laws are: Section 308(d) of the Public Health
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 242m(d)); the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of
2018 (Title III, Public Law No. 115-435); and the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. § 552a). Every National
Center for Health Statistics employee, contractor, research partner, and agent has taken an oath to keep
your information private. Anyone who willfully discloses ANY identifiable information about ANYONE in
the survey could get a jail term of up to five years, a fine of up to $250,000, or both.
8. WHO PROTECTS THE INTERESTS OF SURVEY PARTICIPANTS?
Every year, the Ethics Review Board (ERB) of the National Center for Health Statistics reviews survey
content and methods to protect study participants. You may call the Ethics Review Board to ask about
your rights as a participant in this survey. The toll-free number is 1–800–223–8118. You will get an
answering service. Please leave a brief message with your name and phone number. Say you are calling
about Protocol #2019-09. Your call will be returned promptly.

HIS-600(L)(C) (5-2020)