United States National Health Interview Survey 1985

The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) is a primary source of information on the health of the population of the United States.  The NHIS is a cross-sectional household interview survey that is fielded continuously throughout the year. For the 1985 survey, the sample plan included approximately 49,000 eligible households yielding a probability sample of about 127,000 persons.

A core questionnaire collected data on topics such as injuries, diseases, conditions, disability, limitation of activity, doctor visits, hospitalization, and demographic information such as housing, family composition, income, etc. The supplemental questionnaire for the 1985 NHIS covered a variety of topics such as smoking during pregnancy, exercise, child safety, high blood pressure, stress, smoking, alcohol use, dental care, and occupational safety. These sections also contained health literacy questions relating to each topic.