Skip To The Main Content
 

NSCH Survey Methodology

The resources below detail the NSCH’s methodology starting with the 2016 survey year. The NSCH’s administration processes are detailed in one-page diagrams created by the DRC. Detailed information on the NSCH survey sampling and data collection procedures are also available via the Methodology Report created by US Census Bureau.

Data Alert! In 2024, the Maternal and Child Health Bureau and the Census Bureau revised imputation and weighting by race and ethnicity for the NSCH. The updated weights have not been applied to the estimates for the 2016-2021 NSCH on the DRC website. The estimates from these survey years are not comparable to estimates produced using datasets with the updated weights available on the U.S. Census Bureau’s website. These estimates also should not be directly compared with estimates on the DRC’s NSCH data query page (2021-2022, 2022 and beyond) which have been updated with new weights.

The CAHMI’s DRC datasets for 2016-2021 haven’t been updated with new weights. The indicators and measures displayed on the DRC interactive data query from the 2016-2021 NSCH can be recreated with updated weights by applying the codes available in the DRC codebooks to the updated public use files provided on the U.S. Census Bureau’s website. Please read the weighting revisions technical document for more information.

Guidance for using the NSCH data

2023 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH)

2022 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH)

2021 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH)

2020 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH)

2019 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH)

2018 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH)

2017 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH)

2016 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH)

The Design and Operations Manuals for the 2011/12, 2007, and 2003 NSCH are available at the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) website.