N C H S - Publications and Information Products - Current Estimates From the National Health Interview Survey, 1994

Data from the 1994 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) are now available in this year's edition of Current Estimates From the National Health Interview Survey, 1994, an annual report of the National Center for Health Statistics.

As in previous editions, this report provides information on various health measures for persons living in the United States. These health measures include estimates on incidence of acute conditions, episodes of persons injured, disability days, physician contacts, prevalence of chronic conditions, limitation of activity, hospitalizations, and respondent-assessed health status. Estimates are presented for various groups in the population, including those defined by age, sex, race, family income, geographic region, and place of residence.

The 1994 incidence rate of acute conditions was 171.5 per 100 persons, significantly lower than the 1993 rate of 190.4. Approximately 67.3 percent of these conditions received some medical attention. Restricted activity days associated with the incidence of acute conditions totaled 693.3 per 100 persons. The rate was significantly lower than the 1993 rate of 781.1 per 100 persons.

The reported chronic conditions with the highest prevalence rates per 1,000 persons in 1994 were sinusitis (134.4), arthritis (128.8), deformity of orthopedic impairment (119.7), and hypertension (108.8).

Overall, the 1994 estimates of respondent-assessed health status were similar to the estimates for 1992 and 1993. The percent of persons assessing their health as "excellent" or "very good" in 1994 was 37.9 and 28.5 percent, respectively. Only 2.9 percent of respondents assessed their health as "poor."

The NHIS is a continuous nationwide household survey of the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the United States. Data on health and other characteristics are obtained for each household member. A description of the survey design, the methods used in estimation, and the general qualifications of the data obtained from the survey are presented in "Appendix 1" of this report.