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NHIS-Child Survey Methodology


The following resources are important to understand the methods used to collect the National Health Interview Survey data. NHIS administration processes are detailed in one-page diagrams created by the DRC. Additionally, the NHIS Survey Description Document is technical report authored by the National Center for Health Statistics which describes the methodological details of survey sampling, data collection procedures, variable coding and analytic issues. More information is available on the CDC website.   

October 2017 CAHMI Newsletter: 2016 NSCH data now available on the interactive data query!

October 31, 2017
October 2017 CAHMI newsletter. In this newsletter, we announced the availability of new data from the 2016 National Survey of Children's Health on the DRC's interactive data query, along with supporting documents. We also shared the CAHMI's recent info briefs and fact sheet on ACEs and thriving, using data from the 2016 NSCH, as well as updates on the MCH-MRN.

 
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Data from the 2016 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH), funded and directed by the Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau (HRSA/MCHB) are now available on the Data Resource Center website! National, state and child subgroup findings on key measures from the 2016 survey are now available on the DRC’s NSCH interactive data query. All Title V National Performance Measure (NPM) and National Outcome Measure (NOM) findings are available as well as findings on topics representing the range of those addressed in the 2016 NSCH: children’s physical and mental health status (including health conditions and functional difficulties); health insurance, health care access, use, and quality (e.g. medical home; transition to adult health care); family health and activities; neighborhood characteristics; and age-specific content on school and learning. Data are available at the national level for a range of child subgroups.Where sample sizes are sufficient, data are also available at the state level for child subgroups within each state. Title V measures can also be viewed across all states in our NPM and NOM hot-spotting tables. Downloadable datasets and accompanying codebooks will be available at a later date; for questions on this, please contact us at info@cahmi.org.
 
As you may know, there were several key changes in the administration of the 2016 NSCH. Most importantly, the 2016 NSCH represents an integration of past years of the NSCH and National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs. The new NSCH was also designed to be fielded annually from 2016 onward, but with smaller samples sizes each year than in prior years of the survey. Additionally, the 2016 NSCH was administered via web- and mail-based (paper) instruments, as opposed to via telephone. To assist in your use of the data, the Data Resource Center provides several “learn about the survey” documents, including:
 

 
To learn more, look for the Maternal and Child Health Bureau’s DataSpeak webinar on the 2016 NSCH, which was held October 30, 2017. Presentations were made by:
 
  • Reem Ghandour, DrPH, MPA,Director of the Division of Epidemiology in the MCHB’s Office of Epidemiology and Research, on the NSCH redesign and new estimates from the 2016 NSCH.
  • Jason Fields, PhD, MPH,Survey Director at the US Census Bureau, on the data collection methodology for the latest iteration of the survey.
  • Christina Bethell, PhD, MBA, MPH, Professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Director of the CAHMI and Data Resource Center, on how participants can jump start their use of the new NSCH data using the DRC website’s interactive data query tool.
 
Check the DataSpeak archive for a transcript and slides from the webinar.
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We are also pleased to announce the creation of a new Title V Portal on the Data Resource Center website. This portal was created in partnership with Title V leaders to address their new and evolving needs, providing fast access to Title V measure data at both the state and national levels and extensive resources to support Title V state action plans. The portal includes easy access to all Title V NPMs and NOMs via an interactive data table, as well as US maps and hot-spotting tables, which allow users to compare their state’s performance to other states and/or the nation. We have also gathered resources to support needs assessments, development of State Performance Measures, understanding and choosing strategies to impact NPMs and NOMs, and more. Check it out and let us know what you think and how we can best meet your needs!
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Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) & Possibilities to Heal and Thrive
 
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In collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), the Children’s Hospital Association, and AcademyHealth, the CAHMI has also put together a fact sheet and issue brief on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and positive health which incorporate data from the 2016 NSCH.
 
Also available is an overview of the National Agenda to Address ACEs, recently published in Academic Pediatrics (see below for more details). These briefs were developed in conjunction with RWJF's launch of the Sesame Workshop’s “Sesame Street in Communities” initiative on helping children cope with traumatic experiences, and are part of a series of briefs that will explore ACEs along with factors that can mitigate the effects of trauma and toxic stress, including family relationships & resilience, social & emotional skills, and family-centered care.
 
To learn more about ACEs and toxic stress, and how to identify and discuss them with families, please join a Nov. 15th webinar, sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics' National Advisory Board, with Nadine Burke Harris of the Center for Youth Wellness and the CAHMI’s Director, Christina Bethell!
 
 
We're coming to Atlanta for the APHA 2017 Annual Meeting and Expo -- Booth #603!
 
Are you interested in the NSCH and want to know how we could benefit your research, advocacy, and systems improvement work? Come meet us at the American Public Health Association’s Annual Meeting and Expo, happening November 4-8 at The Georgia World Conference Center in Atlanta, Georgia! Meet our team and ask questions about our NSCH interactive data query and other resources on our website. In addition, get more information about the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health data (see above) and learn how you can get involved with other CAHMI projects. Our schedule of presentations and posters can be found below:
 
 
Again, we will be exhibiting at booth #603– come say hello, ask questions, and get resources!
 
 
Maternal and Child Health Measurement Research Network (MCH-MRN) Meeting
 
The Maternal and Child Health Measurement Research Network (MCH-MRN), led by the CAHMI and funded by HRSA/MCHB, focuses on improving child and family health measurement through innovation and shared accountability.
 
On August 13th-14th, 2017, the MCH-MRN's Year 1 Advisory Committee and Partners Meeting took place at the AcademyHealth offices in Washington, DC. Coordinated by the CAHMI, the meeting was attended by an interdisciplinary group of MCH stakeholders from around the country, including MCH program, policy, and advocacy leaders, funders, and thought-leaders.
 
The meeting sought to determine next steps for several of the MRN’s MCH measurement resources, move forward the MRN’s Technical Working Groups, discuss how to further operationalize the MRN’s Strategic Agenda, and brainstorm dissemination opportunities. If you’re interested in joining the network or just learning more, please contact the CAHMI at info@cahmi.org.
 
CAHMI in the News
 
In addition to the ACEs briefs mentioned above, the CAHMI, along with AcademyHealth and RWJF, led the development of an open source special issue of Academic Pediatrics, which includes 28 research papers and commentaries addressing the need and possibility to prevent, mitigate and heal the impact of ACEs, promote protective factors and policies and advance child and family well-being in the U.S. CAHMI staff also authored papers for the special issue on a national agenda to address ACEs and an assessment of the state of tools used to evaluate ACEs.
 
As part of their State of Obesity project, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation profiled 2016 NSCH national and state data on youth who are overweight & obese.This took place in conjunction and partnership with the CAHMI's release of this data on the DRC website in early September as part of the Title V measures release with MCHB. Data show that roughly 3 out of 10 children age 10-17 are overweight or obese, with seven states having rates exceeding 35%. These data received coverage both nationally and in local newspapers from over 15 states.
 
News from Our Partners
 
 
The Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP)
is proud to announce the release of the Title V Data Integration toolkit, a collection of resources that aims to assist states as they integrate Title V data into Early Childhood Integrated Data Systems. The toolkit consists of three types of resources: Title V Data Integration Tip Sheets, Title V Data Integration Use Cases, and State Examples.Learn more. AMCHP also recently created an issue brief in partnership with the National Institute for Children’s Health Quality called “Early Childhood Developmental Screening and Title V: Building Better Systems.”
 
Additionally, AMCHP just released a new interactive website for the National Standards for the National Standards for Systems of Care for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs, Version 2.0. This tool strives to serve the nation’s 14.2 million children and youth with special health care needs. Version 2.0 of the National Standards for Systems of Care for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs sets the core components for the structure and process of effective systems of care while streamlining content for easier use by states and stakeholders. Visit the website here.
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If you're heading to APHA,
check out the full day pre-conference Learning Institute course on “How to Evaluate Public Health Programs.” The purpose of this workshop is to equip public health professionals, particularly those working at the local and/or community level, with the essential knowledge and skills needed to evaluate public health programs. View the Learning Institute Course descriptions to learn more, and then register to participate.