Combining National Health Interview Survey Datasets: issues and approaches

Area of Science:

• Health Survey Methodology
• Statistical Data Analysis
• Public Health Research

Background:

• National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data are crucial for public health research.
• Combining multiple NHIS datasets can enhance statistical power and scope.
• Existing methods may not adequately address the complexities of integrating NHIS components.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and delineate specific challenges in preparing estimates from combined NHIS datasets.
• To explore and present practical approaches for addressing these estimation issues.
• To guide researchers in the joint analysis of multiple related NHIS survey components.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of statistical methods for combining survey data.
• Analysis of NHIS data structure and potential integration pitfalls.
• Development of conceptual frameworks for joint estimation strategies.

Main Results:

• Identification of common issues such as weighting adjustments, variance estimation, and comparability across survey years.
• Illustration of how specific analytical problems arise when combining NHIS datasets.
• Presentation of potential solutions and best practices for data integration.

Conclusions:

• Careful consideration of methodological issues is essential for valid estimates from combined NHIS data.
• The proposed approaches can help mitigate problems in joint NHIS dataset analysis.
• This work provides a foundation for more robust utilization of pooled NHIS data.