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National Survey of Children's Health
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The National Survey of Children's Health, funded and directed by HRSA MCHB, provides national and state level estimates of key measures of child health and well-being. These data are essential to understanding the health status and health services needs of children across the nation and in your state and community. The data cover multiple, intersecting aspects of children’s lives—including physical and mental health, access to quality health care, and the child’s family, neighborhood, school, and social context. The National Survey of Children's Health is funded and directed by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB).
Download supplemental documentation such as codebooks.
DownloadDetailed Methodology
NSCH uses an address-based sample selected from an extract of the Census Bureau’s Master Address File (MAF). It covers the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
- Mixed or multi modes
- Survey (self- or interviewer-administered)
- Last year/last 12 months
A revised version of the survey has been conducted as a mail and web-based survey by the Census Bureau since 2016. Among other changes, the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health started integrating two surveys: the previous NSCH and the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS-CSHCN).
• Households received a mailed invitation asking an adult in the household who is familiar with the child’s health and health care (usually a parent) to complete a short screener questionnaire (via web or paper). The screener asked participants to identify all children ages 0-17 living in the household.
• If a child (or children) was reported to live in the household, participants who chose to respond online were immediately directed to a more detailed, age-specific topical questionnaire for one randomly
selected child.
• Participants could also request a paper copy of the screener and topical questionnaire if they did not wish to complete it online.
- Protected identification key (PIK)
- Tract
- Core-based statistical area
- County FIPS code
- State FIPS code
- Other (see Linkage Capabilities description)
Request BOC Crosswalk National Survey of Children's Health to assign PIKs to respondents. . CNTRLNUM (Survey Specific Identifier). Census Block. Census Block Group. HHID (Survey Specific Household Identifier); CNTRLNUM (Survey Specific Identifier); Census Block; Census Block Group; HHID (Survey Specific Household Identifier)