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1988 National Maternal and Infant Health Survey (NMIHS) Public-Use Data File

bullet graphicSurvey description
bullet graphicData file description
bullet graphicList of data file variables at a glance
bullet graphicGeographic coverage
bullet graphicDocumentation contents
bullet graphicData availability
bullet graphicOrdering information 
bullet graphicRelated reports
bullet graphicContact

Survey description
The National Maternal and Infant Health Survey (NMIHS) vital records are linked with data from mothers' questionnaires. The 1988 NMIHS is the successor to earlier NCHS National Natality and Mortality Followback Surveys.

Data file description
The NMIHS data file consists of three independent national files, containing samples respectively, of live births, fetal deaths, and infant deaths occurring in 1988. Each mother named on the vital records for those events was mailed a 35-page mother's questionnaire.  Questionnaires were also sent to physicians, hospitals, and other medical care providers associated with these outcomes.

Mothers who responded to the questionnaire on the national file included 9,953 women who had live births, 3,309 women who had late fetal deaths, and 5,332 women who had infant deaths. These samples weighted up to national estimates of 3,898,922 live births, 15,259 late fetal deaths, and 38,917 infant deaths to U.S. residents 15 years of age and over. This public-use data file consists of mothers' questionnaire data, imputation flags, a set of recodes, live birth and fetal death certificate data, and infant death certificate data.

List of data file variables at a glance (Mother's questionnaire and Birth and Death Certificates, and Report of Fetal Death)

Mother's Questionnaire
Mail questionnaire to married and unmarried mothers, or telephone, or personal interview

Mother's response status
Any prenatal care visits
Total number of prenatal care visits
Did doctor suggest weight-gain limit?
Total weight-gain limit suggested
Take vitamin/mineral supplement 3 days per week
Number of weeks pregnant when pregnancy
indent graphic was confirmed
Did mother smoke during 12 months before delivery?
Average number of cigarettes smoked per day before
indent graphicpregnancy confirmed
Average number of cigarettes smoked per day after
indent graphicpregnancy confirmed
Did mother drink alcoholic beverages during
indent graphic12 months before delivery?
indent graphicFrequency of alcoholic beverage consumption
indent graphicAlcohol consumption before pregnancy
indent graphicAlcohol consumption after pregnancy
indent graphicAmount of alcohol consumed when drinking
indent graphicBefore pregnancy
indent graphicDuring pregnancy
indent graphicWhy was the drinking reduced during the pregnancy?
What was done at first prenatal visit?
What was done at second prenatal visit?
What kind of place gave her prenatal care?
How often she went to each place?
How many minutes travel time?
How was prenatal care paid for?
Advice/instructions received at care
Barriers to prenatal care
Wantedness of prenatal care
Use of birth control
Was baby breast and/or bottle fed?
indent graphicReasons for breast or bottle feeding
indent graphicAge baby stopped breast feeding
Wantedness of this pregnancy
indent graphicExpect to have more children
indent graphicNumber of additional children expected
Mother's height
Mother's weight before pregnancy
Mother's weight before delivery
Father's height
Father's weight
Complete pregnancy history (live births, stillbirths,
indent graphic miscarriages, abortions)
indent graphicDate each pregnancy ended1
indent graphicSex of each infant if live birth
indent graphicSmoking during pregnancy
indent graphicGet WIC during pregnancy
indent graphicFor self
indent graphicFor baby
indent graphicIf live birth, still living or now dead
indent graphicIf now dead, date of death1
Number of times married
indent graphicDate of marriage, status of marriage, and
indent graphic date widowed, divorced, or separated1
indent graphic Mother's educational level
indent graphicMother's attendance at vocational or trade school
Father's educational level
indent graphicFather's attendance at vocational or trade school
Mother worked during 12 months before
 1988 delivery
Mother worked prior to 12 months before
indent graphic 1988 delivery
Mother's occupation (three-digit census code)
Mother on active duty in military
Mother's industry (three-digit census code)
Business mother works in mainly
Description of mother's type of employment
Mother's dates of employment on job
indent graphicDate began1
indent graphicDate ended1
Number of hours per week mother worked at job
Father worked during 12 months before 1988 delivery
Father's occupation (three-digit census code)
Father on active duty in military
Father's industry (three-digit census code)
Business father works in mainly
Description of father's type of employment
Father's dates of employment on job
indent graphicDate began1
indent graphicDate ended1
Number of hours per week father worked at job
Total family annual income (20 categories)
indent graphicSources of family income
Mother's racial background
indent graphicMother's national origin or descent
indent graphicNational origin mother identifies herself with most
Father's racial background
indent graphicFather's national origin or descent
indent graphicNational origin father identifies himself with most
Medical treatments to help get pregnant
Health symptoms during pregnancy
Therapies to prevent premature delivery
Doctor ordered bedrest and reasons
Home pregnancy test use
Prenatal child birth classes
Exercise during pregnancy
People who lived with mother during pregnancy
indent graphicWhich of above smoked at home during pregnancy
indent graphicWhich of above live with mother now
indent graphicWhich of above smoke at home now
Marijuana/hashish use before pregnancy
Marijuana/hashish use during pregnancy
Cocaine/crack use before delivery
Cocaine/crack use during delivery
WIC food for mother during pregnancy
1st, 2nd . . . 9th month of pregnancy got WIC food
Advice from WIC officer on pregnancy
How learned about WIC program
Number of nights in hospital
CES-D depressive-anxiety scale
Postpartum outpatient visit
Planned methods of infant feeding
Number of times per day infant fed
indent graphicBreastfed
indent graphicInfant formula
indent graphicCow's milk
indent graphicCereal
indent graphicFruits or vegetables
indent graphicMeats
For each of first 6 months, and this past month
indent graphicSpecific brand infant formulas used, by month
Fluoride drops, by month
Vitamin/mineral, by month
Apnea
indent graphicNumber of times
indent graphicAge in weeks
When awake, sleeping, or feeding
indent graphicApnea monitor use
Thirteen specific infant illnesses for each of first
indent graphic6 months
Well baby care
Where well baby care was obtained
How care was paid for
Infant vaccines (kind and date)
Child care
indent graphicWho
indent graphicWhether paid or not
indent graphicWhere care occurred
indent graphicNumber of hours per week

NOTE: Imputation flags present for every imputed value. WIC is Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children. CES-D is Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale.

Birth certificate file
Data year (1988)
Metropolitan/nonmetropolitan counties
Age of:
indent graphicFather (single years, age 10-49)
indent graphicMother (single years, age 10-49)
Apgar scores, 1 and 5 minutes
Attendant at birth
Birth weight (in grams)
Month/day/year of last menstrual period1
Education of:
indent graphicFather (single years, 0-17)
indent graphicMother (single years, 0-17)
Gestation period (single weeks, 17-52)
Hispanic origin of mother and father
Interval in months:
indent graphicSince last fetal death
indent graphicSince last live birth
indent graphicSince termination of last pregnancy
Live-birth order
Marital status
Month/year:
indent graphicOf last fetal death1
indent graphicOf last live birth1
Month of pregnancy prenatal care began
Outcome of last pregnancy
Nativity of mother
Number of prenatal visits
Place of delivery
Plurality
Race of:
indent graphicChild (9 categories)
indent graphicFather (10 categories)
indent graphicMother (10 categories)
Sex of child
Total birth order

Infant death certificate file
Data year (1988)
Metropolitan/nonmetropolitan counties
Age at death (hours/days)1
Date of death1
Race (9 categories)
Sex
Underlying cause of death2
indent graphicEach cause
Whether autopsy performed
Hospital and status of decedent
Place of accident
Multiple conditions
2

Report of fetal death file
Data year (1988)
Metropolitan/nonmetropolitan counties
Age of:
indent graphicMother (single years, age 10-49)
indent graphicFather (single years, ages 10 and over)
Education of:
indent graphicMother (single years, 0-17)
indent graphicFather (single years, 0-17)
Gestation period (single weeks, 17-52)
Live-birth order
Marital status
Month of pregnancy prenatal care began
Number of prenatal visits
Place of delivery
Plurality
Race of:
indent graphicFetus (9 categories)
indent graphicMother (10 categories)
indent graphicFather (10 categories)
Sex of fetus
Weight of fetus
Total birth order
_____________________________________________________
1Dates expressed as number of days since mother's birth date (See NMIHS HP document on CD-ROM).
2Causes of death were coded according to the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision.

NOTE: For infant deaths, birth certificate information is also included.

Hospital and  provider data

Approximately 93 percent of the responding mothers provided permission and information to contact prenatal care providers, hospitals of delivery, hospitals where mothers stayed overnight during pregnancy and/or up to six months after delivery, and hospitals where infants were hospitalized up to six months after delivery. Special questionnaires were sent to hospitals and providers that were eligible, by the mother's request, to be contacted, and the information or medical records thus obtained were coded and added to the respective mother's record. Thus, this NMIHS public-use national data file contains information from responding hospitals and prenatal care providers, merged with information from the responding mother's questionnaire and vital record(s). Information was received from at least one hospital or prenatal care provider for 70.5 percent of the 9,296 mothers in the live birth sample who had signed Request Statements, for 67.8 percent of the 3,092 mothers in the fetal death sample, and for 60.7 percent of the 4,954 mothers in the infant death sample.

File layout on NMIHS CD-ROM

File Location

Data
Item
0002 Control Number (Birth Outcome)
0021-0022 Final Status Recode
0024-4502 Mother's Questionnaire (NMIHS-1/2/3)
0024-1350 ... Part A: Prenatal Care and Health Habits
1351-1772 ... Part B: Delivery of Baby; CES-D Scale
1773-2982 ... Part C: Other Pregnancies (up to 30)
2983-3091 ... Part D: Mother's Characteristics
3092-3136 ... Part E: Father's Characteristics
3137-3224  ... Part F: Family Income
3225-3985 ... Part G: Baby's Health
4537-4998 Imputation Flags
5025-5691 Recodes
5053-5075 ... CES-D Scale Recodes and Total Score
5692 Built Birth Certificate Flag
5694-5920 Live Birth Certificate and Fetal Death Report Data
5921-6360 Infant Death Certificate Data
7153-7164 Infant's Date of Birth
6427-6435 Final Weight (5 implied decimals)
6437-6737 List of Prenatal Care Providers (up to 7)
6738-9586 Prenatal Care: NMIHS-5 and Part A of NMIHS-4
6738-6776 ... Selected Prenatal Tests and/or Procedures
6777-7145 ... Sonograms (up to 28)
7172-7270 ... X-Rays (up to 6)
7271-7765 ... Tests for Diseases
7766-8006 ... Diagnostic or Obstetric Procedures
8007-8789 ... Prenatal Visits (up to 30)
8790-8833  ... Selected Conditions Affecting Pregnancy
8834-9556 ... Medications During Pregnancy (up to 18)
9557-9586 ... Services/Referrals During Pregnancy
9587-9823 Post Partum Visits (up to 9): Part A, NMIHS-4
9824-10151 Hospitalization for Delivery: Part A, NMIHS-4
10152-10410 Health Status and Care of Infant (Includes
Transfer to NICU): Part C, NMIHS-4
10411-10588 Mother's Hospitalization Before Delivery (up to
2): Part B, NMIHS-4
10589-10766 Mother's Hospitalization After Delivery (up to 2):
Part B, NMIHS-4
10767-11954 Infant Rehospitalization After Delivery (up to 9):
Part D, NMIHS-4
10767-11162 ... Baby's First Hospital After Being Discharged
Following Delivery (<3 rehospitalizations)
11163-11558  ... Baby's Second Hospital After Being Discharged
Following Delivery (<3 rehospitalizations)
11559-11954  ... Baby's Third Hospital After Being Discharged Following Delivery (<3 rehospitalizations)
11955-12053 Recodes of Hospital/Prenatal-Care-Provider Data
12055-12324  Diagnosis Related Groups (DRG's) for Mother's and
Baby's Hospitalizations
12325-13404 Recodes: Generic Names of Medications (up to 18)

Geographic coverage
The NMIHS covers the United States, with vital records sampled from each State and independent registration area.

Data availability
The NMIHS includes live births, infant deaths, and late fetal deaths occurring in 1988. Data are available on CD-ROM in ASCII. To protect confidentiality of respondents, the 1988 NMIHS can be merged with the 1991 Longitudinal Follow-up only in the NCHS Research Data Center.

Ordering information
The 1988 NMIHS data CD-ROM can only be obtained from NCHS.

Documentation contents
Documentation is contained on the CD-ROM and includes survey description, response rates, sample design, estimation procedures, methodological notes, and weighting information.

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

 

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Electronic Products
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This page last reviewed September 09, 2008

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Health Statistics
Hyattsville, MD
20782

1-800-232-4636