CDC-Data-2025/DQS_NHIS_Adult_Summary_Statistics_Footnotes.csv

1	dataset_shortname	fn_id	fn_type	fn_code	fn_text
2	NHISAdult	NA_NHISA10	Flag	**	While the estimate meets National Center for Health Statistics standards of reliability, its complement does not. The compliment is the set of all outcomes that are not the event of interest. This is represented by a double asterisk flag (**).
3	NHISAdult	NA_NHISA11	Flag	***	Topic is limited to adults aged 18-64. This is represented by a triple asterisk flag (***).
4	NHISAdult	NA_NHISA12	Flag	****	Rotating content; indicator is not available for time period. This is represented by a four asterisk flag (****).
5	NHISAdult	NA_NHISA13	Flag	–	Quantity is zero. This is represented by a single dash flag (-).
6	NHISAdult	NA_NHISA14	Flag	*	If a single asterisk (*) is shown in the table, estimates do not meet National Center for Health Statistics standards of reliability and will not appear in the chart.
7	NHISAdult	NA_NHISA15	Flag	- - -	Data not available. This is represented by a triple dash flag (- - -).
8	NHISAdult	NA_NHISA16	Flag	~	Quantity is more than zero but less than 0.05. This is represented by a tilde flag (~).
9	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA01	Footnote		Race is based on a respondent's description of their own racial background, regardless of Hispanic or Latino origin. More than one race may be reported. "Only" indicates only a single race group. Only two combinations of multiple race groups are shown due to small sample sizes for other combinations. More information on the National Health Interview Survey adult data, methods, and definitions is available from: https://wwwn.cdc.gov/NHISDataQueryTool/SHS_adult/SHS_Tech_Notes.pdf.
10	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA02	Footnote		Race and Hispanic origin is divided into total categories "All races, Hispanic" and "All races, non-Hispanic." "All races, Hispanic" refers to adults who are of Hispanic or Latino origin and may be of any race or combination of races. "All races, Hispanic" includes the subset "All races, Hispanic, Mexican." "All races, non-Hispanic" refers to adults who are not of Hispanic or Latino origin, regardless of race. "All races, non-Hispanic" is further divided into "White only, non-Hispanic," "Black only, non-Hispanic" and "Other races, non-Hispanic." Estimates for non-Hispanic people of races other than "White only, non-Hispanic" and "Black only, non-Hispanic" are combined in the "Other races, non-Hispanic" category. More information on the National Health Interview Survey adult data, methods, and definitions is available from: https://wwwn.cdc.gov/NHISDataQueryTool/SHS_adult/SHS_Tech_Notes.pdf.
11	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA03	Footnote		Shown only for adults age 25 and older. GED is General Educational Development high school equivalency diploma.
12	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA04	Footnote		Marital status is the status at the time of interview. "Married" includes all people who identify themselves as married and who are not separated from their spouses. Married people living apart because of circumstances of their employment are considered married. people may identify themselves as married regardless of the legal status of the marriage or sex of the spouse. "Widowed" includes people who have lost their spouse due to death. "Divorced or separated" includes people who are legally separated from their spouse or living apart for reasons of marital discord, and those who are divorced. "Never married" includes people who were never married (or who were married and then had that marriage legally annulled). "Living with partner" includes unmarried people regardless of sex who are living together as a couple, but do not identify themselves as married. More information on the National Health Interview Survey adult data, methods, and definitions is available from: https://wwwn.cdc.gov/NHISDataQueryTool/SHS_adult/SHS_Tech_Notes.pdf.
13	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA05	Footnote		The 2013 National Center for Health Statistics Urban-Rural Classification Scheme for Counties groups U.S. counties and county-equivalent entities into six urban-rural categories: large central metro, large fringe metro, medium metro, small metro, micropolitan, and non-core. Medium and small metro are collapsed into a single group and micropolitan and non-core are collapsed into a single group (nonmetropolitan). More information on Urban-Rural classification is available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data_access/urban_rural.htm.
14	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA06	Footnote		In the geographic classification of the U.S. population, states are grouped into four regions used by the U.S. Census Bureau. Northeast: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Midwest: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas. South: Delaware, Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. West: Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, and Hawaii.
15	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA07	Footnote		MSA is metropolitan statistical area. Large MSAs have a population size of 1 million or more; small MSAs have a population size of less than 1 million. "Not in MSA" consists of people not living in a metropolitan statistical area. More information on the National Health Interview Survey adult data, methods, and definitions is available from: https://wwwn.cdc.gov/NHISDataQueryTool/SHS_adult/SHS_Tech_Notes.pdf.
16	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA08	Footnote		Based on a series of categories. Adults with more than one type of health insurance were assigned to the first appropriate category in the following order: private, Medicaid or other public, other coverage, or uninsured. "Uninsured" includes adults who had no coverage as well as those who had only Indian Health Service coverage or had only a private plan that paid for one type of service such as dental or vision care. More information on the National Health Interview Survey adult data, methods, and definitions is available from: https://wwwn.cdc.gov/NHISDataQueryTool/SHS_adult/SHS_Tech_Notes.pdf.
17	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA09	Footnote		Based on a series of categories. Adults aged 65 and older with more than one type of health insurance were assigned to the first appropriate category in the following order: private, Medicare and Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, Medicare only excluding Medicare Advantage, other coverage, or uninsured. When there is a report of both private and Medicare Advantage, preference to Medicare Advantage is given in the series. "Uninsured" includes adults who had no coverage as well as those who had only Indian Health Service coverage or had only a private plan that paid for one type of service such as dental or vision care. More information on the National Health Interview Survey adult data, methods, and definitions is available from: https://wwwn.cdc.gov/NHISDataQueryTool/SHS_adult/SHS_Tech_Notes.pdf.
18	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA10	Footnote		"Full-time" employment is 35 or more hours per week. "Part-time" employment is 34 or fewer hours per week. More information on employment status is available from: https://wwwn.cdc.gov/nhisdataquerytool/shs_adult/shs_tech_notes.pdf.
19	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA11	Footnote		FPL is Federal Poverty Level. Percent of poverty level is based on family income and family size and composition using U.S. Census Bureau poverty thresholds. Family income was imputed when missing. More information on the National Health Interview Survey adult data, methods, and definitions is available from: https://wwwn.cdc.gov/NHISDataQueryTool/SHS_adult/SHS_Tech_Notes.pdf.
20	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA12	Footnote		Respondents were asked if they were born in the United States or a U.S. territory.
21	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA13	Footnote		Disability is defined by the reported level of difficulty (no difficulty, some difficulty, a lot of difficulty, or cannot do at all) in six functioning domains: seeing (even if wearing glasses), hearing (even if wearing hearing aids), mobility (walking or climbing stairs), communication (understanding or being understood by others), cognition (remembering or concentrating), and self-care (such as washing all over or dressing). Adults who responded "a lot of difficulty" or "cannot do at all" to at least one question were considered to have a disability. Prior research has shown that disability status is strongly associated with age. Differences in estimates of health measures shown by disability status may therefore reflect differences in age.
22	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA14	Footnote		Male respondents were asked if they think of themselves as gay; straight, that is, not gay; bisexual; something else; or if they don't know the answer. Female respondents and respondents who refused or didn't know their sex were asked if they think of themselves as lesbian or gay; straight, that is, not lesbian or gay; bisexual; something else; or if they don't know the answer.
23	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA15	Footnote		The Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) uses U.S. Census Bureau data to determine the social vulnerability of every census tract. The index was developed at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by the Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry's (ATSDR) Geospatial Research, Analysis, and Services Program (GRASP). SVI ranks each U.S. census tract on 15 social factors, which are then grouped into four related themes: socioeconomic status, household composition and disability, racial and ethnic minority status and language, and housing type and transportation. SVI indicates the relative vulnerability of every census tract as a percentile ranking ranging from 0 to 1, with higher values indicating greater vulnerability. The overall tract summary ranking variable for 2018 was used to categorize four quartiles of vulnerability: Scores from 0 to 0.2500 are categorized as "little to no social vulnerability," 0.2501-0.500 are "low social vulnerability," 0.5001-0.7500 are "medium social vulnerability," and 0.7501-1.0 are "high social vulnerability." More information on SVI is available from: https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/placeandhealth/svi/index.html.
24	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA16	Footnote		Veterans were defined as sample adults who had ever served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces, military reserves, or National Guard and were not currently on full-time active duty with the Armed Forces. Prior research has shown that veteran status is strongly associated with age and sex. Differences in estimates of health measures shown by veteran status may therefore reflect differences in age and sex.
25	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA17	Footnote		Respondents were asked if they had ever been told by a doctor or other health professional that they had coronary heart disease.
26	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA18	Footnote		Respondents were asked if they had ever been told by a doctor or other health professional that they had angina (or angina pectoris).
27	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA19	Footnote		Respondents were asked if they had ever been told by a doctor or other health professional that they had hypertension (or high blood pressure), and if so, if they had been told on two or more different visits. Respondents who answered affirmatively were asked if they had been told they had hypertension (or high blood pressure) during the past 12 months. Respondents who ever had hypertension were also asked if they were taking prescribed medication for high blood pressure. Respondents had to have been taking those medications or had hypertension or high blood pressure during the past 12 months to be classified as having diagnosed hypertension.
28	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA20	Footnote		Respondents were asked if they had ever been told by a doctor or other health professional that they had a heart attack (or myocardial infarction).
29	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA21	Footnote		Respondents were asked if they had ever been told by a doctor or other health professional that they had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD, emphysema, or chronic bronchitis.
30	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA22	Footnote		In separate questions, respondents were asked if they had ever been told by a doctor or other health professional that they had high cholesterol. Respondents who answered affirmatively were asked in separate questions if they had been told by a doctor or other health professional that they had high cholesterol during the past 12 months, and if they were taking prescribed medicine to help lower their cholesterol. Respondents had to have been taking those medications or had high cholesterol during the past 12 months to be classified as having high cholesterol.
31	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA23	Footnote		Respondents were asked if they had ever been told by a doctor or other health professional that they had asthma. Respondents who had been told they had asthma were asked if they had an episode of asthma or an asthma attack during the past 12 months.
32	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA24	Footnote		Respondents were asked if they had ever been told by a doctor or other health professional that they had asthma. Respondents who had been told they had asthma were asked if they still had asthma.
33	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA25	Footnote		Respondents were asked if they had ever been told by a doctor or other health professional that they had a cancer or malignancy of any kind. They were then asked to name the kind of cancer they had. Respondents who had skin (melanoma), skin (non-melanoma), or skin cancer (unknown kind) where classified as having any skin cancer.
34	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA26	Footnote		Respondents were asked if they had ever been told by a doctor or other health professional that they had a cancer or malignancy of any kind.
35	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA27	Footnote		Respondents were asked if they had ever been told by a doctor or other health professional that they had a cancer or malignancy of any kind. They were then asked to name the kind of cancer they had.
36	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA30	Footnote		Respondents were asked if they had ever been told by a doctor or other health professional that they had some form of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus, or fibromyalgia. Those who answered yes were classified as having an arthritis diagnosis.
37	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA31	Footnote		Respondents were asked how often they had pain in the past three months. Respondents who reported having pain on most days or every day were classified as regularly experiencing chronic pain.
38	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA32	Footnote		Respondents were asked if they had ever been told by a doctor or other health professional that they had diabetes. Respondents who had reported having prediabetes, borderline diabetes or gestational diabetes in previous questions were instructed not to include these conditions.
39	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA33	Footnote		Respondents were asked if there was any time during the past 12 months when they needed mental health care but did not get it because of the cost.
40	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA34	Footnote		Respondents were asked if there was any time during the past 12 months when medical care was delayed because of the cost.
41	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA35	Footnote		Respondents who reported taking prescribed medicine in the past 12 months were asked in separate questions if during the past 12 months any of the following were true: they skipped medication doses to save money, they took less medication to save money, they delayed filling a prescription to save money.
42	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA36	Footnote		Respondents were asked if they had difficulty hearing (even with hearing aids, for those who use them). Respondents who reported "some" or "a lot" of difficulty or who could not hear at all were classified as having hearing difficulty.
43	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA37	Footnote		Respondents were asked if they had difficulty seeing (even when wearing glasses or contact lenses, for those who use them). Respondents who reported "some" or "a lot" of difficulty or who could not hear at all were classified as having vision difficulty.
44	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA38	Footnote		Respondents were asked if they take prescription medication for feelings of worry, nervousness, or anxiety.
45	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA39	Footnote		Respondents were asked if they take prescription medication for feelings of depression.
46	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA40	Footnote		In separate questions, respondents were asked how often they feel worried, nervous, or anxious and then, thinking about the last time they felt that way, to describe the level of those feelings. Respondents who reported a) feeling worried, nervous, or anxious daily and described the level of those feelings as "somewhere in between a little and a lot" or "a lot" or b) feeling worried, nervous, or anxious weekly and described the level of those feelings as "a lot" were classified as regularly had feelings of worry, nervousness, or anxiety.
47	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA41	Footnote		In separate questions, respondents were asked how often they feel depressed and then, thinking about the last time they felt that way, to describe the level of those feelings. Respondents who reported a) feeling depressed daily and described the level of those feelings as "somewhere in between a little and a lot" or "a lot" or b) feeling depressed weekly and described the level of those feelings as "a lot" were classified as regularly had feelings of depression.
48	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA42	Footnote		Respondents were asked if they had difficulty walking or climbing steps. Respondents who had "some" or "a lot" of difficulty or could not walk or climb steps at all were classified as having difficulty walking or climbing steps.
49	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA43	Footnote		Respondents were asked if using their usual language, they had difficulty communicating, for example, understanding or being understood. Respondents who had "some" or "a lot" difficulty or could not communicate at all were classified as having difficulty communicating.
50	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA44	Footnote		Respondents were asked if they had difficulty with self care, such as washing all over or dressing. Respondents who had "some" or "a lot" of difficulty or could not do these tasks at all were classified as having difficulty with self care.
51	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA45	Footnote		Respondents were asked if they had difficulty remembering or concentrating. Respondents who had "some" or "a lot" of difficulty or could not remember or concentrate at all were classified as having difficulty with remembering or concentrating.
52	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA46	Footnote		Respondents who a) worked for pay in the week prior to the interview, b) had a job or business in the week prior to the interview, but were temporarily absent, c) had seasonal or contract work for at least a few days in the past 12 months, or d) worked at a job or business but not for pay for at least a few days in the past 12 months were asked how many days during the past 12 months they missed because of illness, injury, or disability.
53	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA47	Footnote		Respondents were asked if they had a flu vaccination in the past 12 months.
54	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA48	Footnote		Respondents were asked if they ever had a pneumonia shot.
55	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA49	Footnote		Respondents were asked when was the last time they had their blood pressure checked by a doctor, nurse, or other health professional.
56	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA50	Footnote		Respondents were asked if they took prescription medication at any time in the past 12 months.
57	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA51	Footnote		Respondents were asked if there was any time during the past 12 months when they needed medical care but did not get it because of the cost.
58	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA52	Footnote		Respondents were asked if they would say their health was in general excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor.
59	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA53	Footnote		In separate questions, respondents were asked if they had ever smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their entire life, and if so, do they now smoke every day, some days, or not at all. Respondents who smoke every day or some days were classified as current cigarette smokers.
60	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA54	Footnote		In separate questions, respondents were asked if they had used an e-cigarette or other electronic vaping product, even just one time in their entire life, and if so, do they now use those products every day, some days, or not at all. Respondents who use e-cigarettes or electronic vaping products every day or some days are classified as current electronic cigarette users.
61	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA55	Footnote		Calculated from information that respondents supplied in response to survey questions regarding height and weight. For both men and women, obesity is indicated by body mass index (BMI) of 30.0 or higher. Note that self-reported height and weight may differ from actual measurements.
62	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA56	Footnote		In separate questions, respondents were asked if there is a place that they usually go if they are sick and need health care, and if so (or if more than one place), to indicate the kind of place. Respondents who indicated their place of usual care was a hospital emergency room were not classified as having a usual place of care.
63	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA57	Footnote		Respondents were asked how long it had been since they last saw a doctor or other health care professional about their health.
64	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA58	Footnote		Based on questions that ascertain among those with a doctor visit in the past 12 months, "Was this a wellness visit, physical, or general purpose check-up? " or a response of "within the past year" to the question "About how long has it been since you last saw a doctor or other health professional for a wellness visit, physical, or general purpose check-up?"
65	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA59	Footnote		Respondents were asked how many times during the past 12 months had they gone to a hospital emergency room about their health. This includes emergency room visits that resulted in a hospital admission.
66	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA60	Footnote		Respondents were asked if they received counseling or therapy from a mental health professional such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, psychiatric nurse, or clinical social worker during the past 12 months.
67	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA61	Footnote		Respondents were asked how many times they went to an urgent care center or a clinic in a drug store or grocery store about their health during the past 12 months.
68	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA62	Footnote		Respondents were asked how long it had been since they last had a dental examination or cleaning.
69	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA63	Footnote		A person was defined as uninsured if they did not have any private health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), state-sponsored or other government-sponsored health plan, or military plan. A person was also defined as uninsured if they had only Indian Health Service coverage or had only a private plan that paid for one type of service, such as dental or vision care. This measure is limited to adults aged 18-64 as almost all adults aged 65 and older are eligible for Medicare.
70	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA64	Footnote		Private health insurance coverage includes any comprehensive private insurance plan (including health maintenance and preferred provider organizations). These plans include those obtained through an employer, purchased directly, purchased through local or community programs, or purchased through the Health Insurance Marketplace or a state-based exchange. Private coverage excludes plans that pay for only one type of service, such dental or vision care. A small number of people (2-3%) were covered by both public and private plans and were included in both categories. This measure is limited to adults aged 18-64 as almost all adults aged 65 and older are eligible for Medicare.
71	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA65	Footnote		Public health plan coverage includes Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), state-sponsored or other government-sponsored health plan, Medicare, and military plans. A small number of people (2-3%) were covered by both public and private plans and were included in both categories. This measure is limited to adults aged 18-64 as almost all adults aged 65 and older are eligible for Medicare.
72	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA66	Footnote		A person was defined as uninsured if they did not have any private health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), state-sponsored or other government-sponsored health plan, or military plan. A person was also defined as uninsured if they had only Indian Health Service coverage or had only a private plan that paid for one type of service, such as dental or vision care. "Year" is defined as the 12 months prior to interview. This measure is limited to adults aged 18-64 as almost all adults aged 65 and older are eligible for Medicare.
73	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA68	Footnote		Exchange-based coverage is a private health insurance plan purchased through the Health Insurance Marketplace or state-based exchanges that were established as part of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-148, P.L. 111-152). This measure is limited to adults aged 18-64.
74	NHISAdult	FN_NHISA69	Footnote		Disability is defined by the reported level of difficulty (no difficulty, some difficulty, a lot of difficulty, or cannot do at all) in six functioning domains: seeing (even if wearing glasses), hearing (even if wearing hearing aids), mobility (walking or climbing stairs), communication (understanding or being understood by others), cognition (remembering or concentrating), and self-care (such as washing all over or dressing). Adults who responded "a lot of difficulty" or "cannot do at all" to at least one question were considered to have a disability.
75	NHISAdult	NT_NHISA00	Note		More information on the National Health Interview Survey adult data, methods, and definitions is available from: https://wwwn.cdc.gov/NHISDataQueryTool/SHS_adult/SHS_Tech_Notes.pdf.
76	NHISAdult	NT_NHISA999	Note		In 2019, the NHIS questionnaire was redesigned and other changes were made to weighting and design methodology. Data for 2019 and later have not been fully evaluated for comparability with earlier years. While annual estimates are available for this topic for 2018 and earlier, they are not presented here. For more information on the 2019 NHIS redesign and evaluation of the redesign on selected indicators, see Redesign Notes, available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/2019_quest_redesign.htm.
77	NHISAdult	SC_NHISA00	Source		National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Interview Survey, Summary Health Statistics for Adults 2019-2023.