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1991 Longitudinal Followup to the 1988 National Maternal and Infant Health Survey Public-Use Data Files

Survey description
Data file description
List of data file variables at a glance
Data file technical characteristics
Geographic coverage
Data availability
Ordering information
Documentation contents
Related reports
Contact

Survey description
The 1991 Longitudinal Follow-up (LF) to the 1988 National Maternal and Infant Health Survey (NMIHS) reinterviewed women who were respondents to the NMIHS to provide information on a number of areas related to child health and development. The 1991 LF consists of three parts: the live birth survey, the child medical provider survey, and the fetal and infant death survey. The 1991 LF live birth survey is a nationally representative study that examines the children of women initially interviewed for the live birth cohort of the 1988 NMIHS. Its primary purpose is to obtain data on national health issues affecting children, such as child development, effects of low-birthweight, child injury, child care, pediatric care, health insurance coverage, child safety, and acute and chronic illnesses. The response rate for this survey is 89 percent. There were 8,285 completed interviews.

For the child medical provider survey, each woman was asked to provide the names of all medical providers and hospitals where her child was diagnosed, treated, and/or admitted. Each health care provider was asked to supply information on its organization, the child's health status and history, and information on each visit or hospitalization. The response rate for this survey was 89 percent for hospitals and 74 percent for pediatric care providers. Information was obtained from more than 9,000 pediatric care providers and more than 3,500 hospitals.

The fetal and infant death survey was composed of a subsample of women from the fetal death and infant death cohorts in the 1988 NMIHS. A sample of 1,000 women each from the fetal death and infant death cohorts were contacted for this survey. Its purpose was to gather information about the health of the respondents and any pregnancies experienced since their loss in 1988. The response rate for this survey was 82 percent.

To protect confidentiality of respondents, the 1991 LF can only be linked with the 1988 NMIHS in the NCHS Research Data Center.

Data file description
The LF consists of three public-use files. The first file contains information on the live birth survey; the second file contains information on the medical provider survey; and the third file contains information on the fetal and infant death survey.

List of data file variables at a glance (Live Birth Survey, Medical Provider Survey, and Fetal and Infant Death Survey Questionnaires)

Live Birth Survey Questionnaire
Composition of household
Whether child was still living
The Denver Developmental scale
A list of possible behavioral problems
Books in the home
Maternal assessment of child's health status
Use of apnea monitors
Medically-attended injuries
Number of injuries
Cause of injuries
Chronic illnesses
Hearing, sight, or speech difficulties
Allergies
Asthma
Other respiratory difficulties
Heart condition
Sickle cell anemia
Spina bifida
Cerebral palsy
Epilepsy
Orthopedic difficulties
Chronic ear infections
Immunizations
Polio
Measles, mumps, and rubella
Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis
Recent acute illnesses
Stomach flu
Diarrhea
Ear infections
Cold or runny nose
Sore throat and fever
Cough and fever
Skin infection
Food allergy
Head lice
Parasites
Health-seeking behavior of the mother
Over-the-counter medication use
Vitamin or mineral supplement use
Use of the Supplementary Food Programs for Women,
Infants, and Children
Length of use
Information received
Subsequent fertility
Frequency and type of car seat use
Smoke detectors in home
Electric outlets covered
Child care
Type of child care arrangements
Number of hours in care
Whether child care is subsidized
Who cares for the child
Pediatric care utilization
Received home care
Usual sources of care
Number of visits
Advice received from provider
Number of hospitalizations
Barriers to care
Maternal health
Self-assessment of health
Smoking status
Smokers in household
Use of alcohol
Use of illegal drugs
Tested for HIV
Knowledge of HIV
Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale
Family characteristics
Maternal education
Marital status
Household income by person
Use of Supplemental Security Income program
Use of Aid for Dependent Children program
Use of Food Stamp program
Maternal employment
Paternal employment
Health insurance
Type of coverage
Use of Medicaid
Any gaps in coverage

Medical Provider Survey Questionnaire
Type of provider
Assessment of child's health
Use of medical devices
apnea monitor
parenteral nutrition
oxygen support
tracheostomy tube
renal dialysis
urinary catheter
glasses
braces
orthopedic shoes
allergy shots
Use of early and periodic screening, diagnosis, and
treatment program
For each pediatric visit or hospitalization:
Type of service
Height, weight, and head circumference
If visit was a well-child checkup
If ill, diagnoses with ICD-9-CM codes
Any operative procedures performed
HIV testing done
Results of lab tests
Lead screening
TB/Tine test
Hgb/Hct
Throat culture
Blood culture
X-rays
Immunizations given
Any developmental screening
Any medications prescribed

NOTES: ICD-9-CM is International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification. HIV is human immunodeficiency virus. TB is tuberculosis. Hgb is hemoglobin. Hct is hematocrit.

Fetal and Infant Death Survey Questionnaire
Whether woman received counseling because of loss
Sources of counseling
Subsequent fertility
Number of pregnancies
Circumstances and outcomes of the pregnancies
Health habits during pregnancies
Use of the Supplemental Food Program for Women,
Infants, and Children
Health of any live born children
Adoptions and foster care
Type of adoption that was sought
Type of foster care that was sought
Maternal health
Self-assessment of health
Tested for HIV
Knowledge of HIV
Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale
Family characteristics
Maternal education
Marital status
Household income by person
Use of Supplemental Security Income program
Use of Aid to Families with Dependent Children
program
Use of food stamp program
Maternal employment
Paternal employment

NOTE: HIV is human immunodeficiency virus.

Data file technical characteristics
The following list describes specific characteristics of each file.  The CD-ROM format comes with the Statistical Export and Tabulation System (SETS) retrieval software.

Data availability
Data for the LF to the 1988 NMIHS were collected throughout calendar year 1991 and are available on CD-ROM. The data can be linked only in the NCHS Research Data Center to the 1988 NMIHS to provide a nationally representative longitudinal data base to cover the first 3 years of a child's life or, alternatively, to examine the long-term follow-up to the loss of a fetus or infant.  

Ordering information
The 1991 LF to the 1988 NMIHS data can be obtained from NCHS directly (see below). 

Contact
Reproductive Statistics Branch
Division of Vital Statistics
National Center for Health Statistics
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
3311 Toledo Road, Room 7318 
Hyattsville, Maryland 20782
(301) 458-4547