What is the California Health Interview Survey?
The California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) is a telephone survey that provides population-based, standardized health-related data from households selected from all 58 counties in the state. Fielded for the first time in 2001 as a biennial survey, in 2011 and beyond CHIS will be fielded as a continuous survey. The survey is designed to provide information on:
- the health of California’s adults and children, including physical and mental health status, prevalence and management of chronic diseases, and diet and exercise;
- health insurance coverage, access to preventive and other health services, and barriers to use of health services; and
- eligibility for and participation in state health programs.
California has the nation’s most racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse population. As a result, the health and health care needs of these population groups is an important focus of the survey. Groups of particular interest include African-Americans, Latinos and Hispanics, American Indians and Alaska Natives, and Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders. The survey has been culturally adapted for and translated into five languages: Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and (in 2001 only) Khmer/Cambodian.
NCI has helped fund CHIS since its inception. The survey is carried out collaboratively by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, the California Department of Public Health, and the California Department of Health Care Services.
CHIS Survey Topics include a set of core questions and new questions that are added to address emerging concerns important for service, planning and policy development. The 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2009 CHIS data are available from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
CHIS publications are available from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
Ongoing research projects using CHIS can be explored or registered at the CHIS Research Clearinghouse.
Download the CHIS fact sheet (PDF).
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