Annual Survey of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children and Youth, 1975-1994

Investigators: Arthur N. Schildroth, Thomas E. Allen, Sue A. Hotto, Kay H. Lam, and John K.C. Woo

The Annual Survey of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children and Youth, 1975-1994 was administered by the Center for Assessment and Demographic Studies (CADS) at Gallaudet University, Washington, DC. The project, a nationwide, longitudinal survey conducted every year since 1968, tracks the educational and demographic characteristics of deaf and hard-of-hearing students receiving special education services in schools throughout the United States. The purpose of the study has been to determine the size of the special education deaf and hard-of-hearing population of the United States and to describe its characteristics in ways that are useful to educators, program planners, legislators, and other researchers. The survey has played an important role in providing quality data for the discussion and debates leading to improvements in the field of education for these children. Educators have used Annual Survey data to provide national, state, and local level administrators, legislators, and the public at large with information about national needs and services, about changes taking place in the educational services in which these students are enrolled, and about various trends in their education. The Annual Survey data base includes approximately 65% of all deaf and hard-of-hearing children receiving special educational services in the United States.

Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly, Waves I-IV, 1993-2001

Investigators: Preventive Medicine and Community Health

The Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (Hispanic EPESE) project collected data on a representative sample of community-dwelling Mexican-Americans, aged 65 years and older, residing in the five southwestern states of Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. The primary purpose of the study was to provide estimates of the prevalence of key physical health conditions, mental health conditions, and functional impairments in older Mexican Americans and compare them to those in other populations. In addition, the investigators wanted to study predictors and correlates of the health outcomes cross-sectionally. Baseline interviews were conducted in 1993 and 1994 with 3,050 subjects. Follow-up interviews of the same subjects were conducted at two (1995-1996), five (1998-1999), seven (2000-2001) and ten (2004-2005) years. Prior to the start of the ten-year follow-up, another 1,000 subjects aged 75 or older were added to the sample. Data were collected on major chronic conditions, functional disabilities, mental health, family relations, migration history, access to health services, and related variables through personal household interviews with the subjects.

ICD Survey: Employing Disabled Americans, 1986

Investigators: International Center for the Disabled

Louis Harris and Associates, Inc. conducted the 1986 ICD Survey: Employing Disabled Americans for the International Center for the Disabled (ICD) in New York, in cooperation with the National Council on the Handicapped in Washington, DC., with major sponsorship from the Presidents Committee on Employment of Individuals with Disabilities. For the study, 921 employers of disabled Americans were interviewed about a variety of work and non-work issues. Four groups of business persons were interviewed: equal employment officers, chief executive officers, department heads/line managers, and top management personnel. Employers were questioned about their attitudes and experiences regarding employment of persons with disabilities, the impact of job discrimination, and differences between disabled and non- disabled employees. The Employers' study focused on several aspects of work and disability including: opinions and barriers to hiring persons with disabilities, workplace policies, comparisons between non- disabled and disabled employees, and suggestions for improving occupational environments, policies, and hiring practices. The study also assessed what employers' believed must be done to enable the disabled to participate fully in the occupational life of the nation. The employers' study includes 158 variables and 921 cases.

Longitudinal Study of Aging 70 Years and Over 1984-1987; 1988; 1990

Investigators: National Center for Health Statistics

The Longitudinal Study of Aging (LSOA), conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) in collaboration with the National Institute on Aging (NIA), was designed to provide needed information on those factors implicated in the physical dysfunction and institutionalization of older persons in the United States. The study focuses on measuring changes in living arrangements and functional status experienced by the elderly in order to examine the path from health to functional disability to institutionalization and death. Its objectives include: (1) to study changes in functional status and living arrangements with the hope of recognizing potential points for intervention to prevent institutionalization and provide alternative forms of care to extremely elderly people, and (2) to study length of life and death rates by characteristics of the population that are not reported on death certificates, such as education, whether living alone or with others, frequency of contact with family or friends, and other characteristics. Four waves of data were collected. Baseline data were obtained in 1984 from 16,148 persons aged 55 and over as part of the Supplement on Aging (SOA) to the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Follow-up questionnaires were administered in 1986, 1988, and 1990 to 7,527 persons, 70 years of age and older at the time they participated in the SOA.

Medical Outcome Study, 1986-1992

Investigators: Alvin R. Tarlov John E. Ware, Jr. Kenneth B. Wells Anita L. Stewart Cathy D. Sherbourne Ron D. Hays William H. Rogers Sheldon Greenfield Sandra H. Berry

The Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) is a large-scale multi-year survey of patients with prevalent and treatable chronic health conditions, particularly hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, and major depression. The MOS, which began in 1986, includes both cross-sectional and longitudinal components. The cross-sectional component describes the impact of chronic diseases on patient well-being as well as the medical care that patients received. The longitudinal component illustrates changes in health conditions over time and explains outcomes in terms of systems of care, provider specialty, styles of practice, and other factors that influence utilization of health care resources. The investigators employed a variety of assessment instruments, such as self-administered questionnaires for patients and clinicians, face-to-face interviews, telephone interviews, clinical reports, and health examinations. Furthermore, the SF-36 health survey was administered longitudinally, with a sample of 3,588 cases, in order to measure important health and functioning domains. The study samples were drawn from patients receiving health care from 523 solo or group practices in Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles. The objectives of the study were assessment and evaluation of health status--defined in the MOS as the combination of: (1) clinical status, (2) functioning, and (3) well-being. In particular, the MOS investigated four prevalent and treatable chronic health conditions--three medical conditions of hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes as well as one psychological condition of major depression or dysthymia. The MOS examined these health conditions and their outcomes longitudinally in terms of health care, provider specialty, style of practice, and other factors that influenced utilization of health care resources. Among these, the study focused on the comparisons of (1) systems of care--HMOs, large multispecialty groups, and solo and small groups; (2) payment types--parepaid vs. fee-for-service; and (3) clinician specialty--specialist vs. generalist care. This large-scale multi-year study marked several methodological advances. First, the MOS measured the three parameters of health status in parallel, initially and longitudinally. Second, the MOS focused on patients' own personal evaluation of their functional status and well-being--an attempt to meet the recent needs of patient-based assessments of medical outcomes. Consequently, the MOS was the first large-scale study in which patients with different medical and psychiatric conditions completed the same self-administered questionnaires. Finally, the MOS is also distinctive in that it used both standardized patient surveys and clinical evaluations as measures of health status. With its large samples drawn from three urban cities in the U.S., the MOS increased standardization of general health surveys across studies and populations.

NOD Survey of Americans with Disabilities, 1994

Investigators: The National Organization on Disability

This national study of attitudes and experiences of disabled persons is a follow-up to the 1986 ICD Survey of Disabled Americans: Bringing Disabled Americans into the Mainstream. As with the 1986 survey, the 1994 follow-up study asked disabled people about their self-perceptions, how their lives have changed in the past decade, what their experiences have been with employment, education, social life, and what they thought must be done to increase their participation in the mainstream of American society. The 1994 NOD Survey of Americans with Disabilities addressed what it means to be disabled in America by asking a wide range of disabled individuals about the impact of their disability on the quality of their lives, their work, social life, daily activities, education, and personal life. The 1994 study assessed changes in social attitudes and experiences, social activities, and employment opportunities, along with the effects of religion, and the impact of technology and computers that aid disabled people. The survey also focused on barriers that prevented disabled people from working, having a full social life, getting around, or using services; i.e., barriers that excluded them in some way from the mainstream of American life, or prevented them from achieving their goals. The study includes 1,021 cases.

NOD Survey of Public Attitudes Toward People with Disabilities, 1991

Investigators: The National Organization on Disability

The National Organization on Disability commissioned this survey in the belief that knowledge about the public attitudes toward disabled persons is vital to the creation and implementation of policies concerning the participating of disabled people in public life. This landmark study documented for the first time what the public at large thinks about disabled people. The study includes 115 variables for 1,257 cases. The 1991 NOD Survey Public Attitudes Toward People with Disabilities assessed what it the American public believed about disabled people and interactions with them. The study aimed to provide policy makers, leaders of the disability movement, media, business people, and government officials with a better understanding of what the public knows about people with disabilities, how it feels about them and the way they are treated, and what should be done to help open up more opportunities for fuller participation in all aspects of life. The main foci of the study included: The public's contact with the disabled: Where does the public meet the disabled? Are relationships with them strained? Has the public seen movies or television programs on disabled people? The public's feelings toward disabled persons: What emotions are felt in dealing with disabled? Does the public feel differently about people with different disabilities? Do individuals ever feel awkward about how to approach a disabled person? Public knowledge of people with disabilities: What do people believe characterizes the lives of disabled people? Are they able to get jobs, have a social life, get by financially? The extent of perceived discrimination against disabled people: In what areas, if any, do disabled people face discrimination? Is affirmative action an appropriate remedy? Increasing the mainstream participation by disabled people: What are the pluses and minuses? What are people's attitudes toward government benefits for disabled people? The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA): Awareness of ADA; Knowledge of ADA; Support for ADA; Cost of ADA. Jim Brady's Calling on America Campaign: What is the degree of support for the campaign? Is there public willingness to participate in this campaign?

NOD/Harris Survey of Americans with Disabilities, 1998

Investigators: National Organization on Disability

The 1998 NOD/Harris Survey of Americans with Disabilities is a national study of attitudes and experiences of disabled persons--conducted by Louis Harris and Associates, Inc.--as a follow-up to the 1994 National Organization on Disability, (NOD) and 1986 International Center for the Disabled (ICD) surveys of disabled Americans. Both earlier studies are archived in RADIUS as Datsets # 06 and 04, respectively. Together, the three studies address disabled persons' self-perceptions, how their lives have changed in the past decade, what their experiences have been with employment, education, social life, what they thought must be done to increase their participation in the mainstream of American society, impact of their disability on the quality of their lives, their work, social life, daily activities, education, and personal life, as well as changes in social attitudes and experiences, social activities, and employment opportunities, the effects of religion, and the impact of technology and computer aids. Other items address focus on barriers that prevent disabled people from working, having a full social life, getting around, or using services; i.e., barriers that excluded them in some way from the mainstream of American life, or prevented them from achieving their goals. It is hoped that policy makers, leaders of the disability movement, and those who work with people with disabilities will find this study useful both as a benchmark of where people with disabilities stand today, and as a guide in their continuing efforts to improve the quality of life of Americans with disabilities and to enhance their contribution to society. The 1998 NOD study includes 436 variables for 1000 cases.

National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) 2015

Investigators: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) is the principal source of information on the health of the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the United States and is one of the major data collection programs of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The main objective of the NHIS is to monitor the health of the United States population through the collection and analysis of data on a broad range of health topics. A major strength of this survey lies in the ability to categorize these health characteristics by many demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. NHIS data are used widely throughout the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to monitor trends in illness and disability and to track progress toward achieving national health objectives. The data are also used by the public health research community for epidemiologic and policy analysis of such timely issues as characterizing those with various health problems, determining barriers to accessing and using appropriate health care, and evaluating Federal health programs. The NHIS questionnaire consists of two parts: (1) a set of basic health and demographic items (known as the Core questionnaire), and (2) Supplements. The Core questions remain largely unchanged from year to year and allow for trends analysis and for data from more than one year to be pooled to increase sample size for analytic purposes. The Core contains four major components: Household, Family, Sample Adult, and Sample Child. The Household component collects limited demographic information on all of the individuals living in a particular house. The Family component verifies and collects additional demographic information on each member from each family in the house and collects data on topics including health status and limitations, injuries, healthcare access and utilization, health insurance, and income and assets. The Family Core component allows the NHIS to serve as a sampling frame for additional integrated surveys as needed. From each family in the NHIS, one sample adult and one sample child (if any children are present) are randomly selected and information on each is collected with the Sample Adult Core and the Sample Child Core questionnaires. Because some health issues are different for children and adults, these two questionnaires differ in some items but both collect basic information on health status, health care services, and health behaviors.

National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) 2016

Investigators: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) is the principal source of information on the health of the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the United States and is one of the major data collection programs of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The main objective of the NHIS is to monitor the health of the United States population through the collection and analysis of data on a broad range of health topics. A major strength of this survey lies in the ability to categorize these health characteristics by many demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. NHIS data are used widely throughout the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to monitor trends in illness and disability and to track progress toward achieving national health objectives. The data are also used by the public health research community for epidemiologic and policy analysis of such timely issues as characterizing those with various health problems, determining barriers to accessing and using appropriate health care, and evaluating Federal health programs. The NHIS questionnaire consists of two parts: (1) a set of basic health and demographic items (known as the Core questionnaire), and (2) Supplements. The Core questions remain largely unchanged from year to year and allow for trends analysis and for data from more than one year to be pooled to increase sample size for analytic purposes. The Core contains four major components: Household, Family, Sample Adult, and Sample Child. The Household component collects limited demographic information on all of the individuals living in a particular house. The Family component verifies and collects additional demographic information on each member from each family in the house and collects data on topics including health status and limitations, injuries, healthcare access and utilization, health insurance, and income and assets. The Family Core component allows the NHIS to serve as a sampling frame for additional integrated surveys as needed. From each family in the NHIS, one sample adult and one sample child (if any children are present) are randomly selected and information on each is collected with the Sample Adult Core and the Sample Child Core questionnaires. Because some health issues are different for children and adults, these two questionnaires differ in some items but both collect basic information on health status, health care services, and health behaviors.