Survey description
The National Survey of Personal Health Practices and
Consequences (NSPHPC) was conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics
(NCHS) as
part of the effort to meet the data needs of the prevention initiative of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. The survey is a national probability sample,
using random-digit dialing techniques, and was conducted in two waves of interviews among
a panel of noninstitutionalized civilian persons 20-64 years of age in the conterminous
United States. Wave I was conducted in spring 1979 and comprises data on 3,025
respondents. Wave II was conducted in spring 1980. In the second wave of the survey, 2,453
interviews (81 percent) were completed on the respondents interviewed in Wave I. NSPHPC
replicates, in part, a 1965 study conducted among a sample of the adult residents of
Alameda County, California, by the Human Population Laboratory of the California State
Department of Health.
Behavior with respect to high blood pressure
Changes in preventive health behavior due to illness
Concern about health and feelings about capability of
taking care of one's own
health
Conditions of work with respect to hazards, stress,
physical demands, and sick
leave
Dental hygiene
Diet and exercise
Disability status
Drinking of alcoholic beverage
Enjoyment of free time
Family history of longevity
Frequency of colds and headaches
General psychological well-being
Limitations on usual activities because of health
Number and closeness of friends and relatives
Participation in social groups and religious services
Perceived health status and energy level
Recent stressful life events
Sleeping
Smoking
Sociodemographic information such as age, sex,
marital status,
educational level, race, and
family income Use of
preventive health services
Use of medical and hospital care
Use of seat belts
Weight status
Work status
Geographic coverage
The NSPHPC covers the United States and each region by
metropolitan or nonmetropolitan residence.
Data availability
Data for Wave I were collected in 1979 and in 1980 for Wave
II. Data are available on tape
and diskette.
Ordering information Data from this survey are only available
through the National Technical Information Service (NTIS).
The NTIS order number is as follows:
Data on tape
Data year
NTIS
Order no.
Price
1979 and 1980
(Waves I and II)
PB83-104323
$265.00
Data on diskette
Data
year
NTIS
Order no.
Price
1979 and
1980
(Waves I and II)
PB86-167533
$212.00
Documentation
contents The necessary documentation, including tape content and
technical information, needed to access the data. Additional resources that are included
with the documentation are: Vital and Health Statistics, Series 15, Reports Nos. 1
and 2, and Advance Data From Vital and Health Statistics, No. 64 and Basic data
from Wave II of the National Survey of Personal Health Practices and Consequences:
United States, 1980. Working Paper Series, No. 13, October 1982.
Related reports
Additional information is given in the following
publications:
Response rates and nonresponse bias in the National Survey of Personal Health Practices
and Consequences, United States, 1980. Working Paper Series, No. 12, October 1982. A
bibliography for the study of health practices. Working Paper Series, No. 14, February
1983.
Contact
Patricia M. Golden
Office of the Director
Office of Analysis, Epidemiology, and Health Promotion
National Center for Health Statistics
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
3311 Toledo Road
Hyattsville, Maryland 20782
(301) 458-4238