Survey Results

Survey Items: Screener Questionnaire item number: 1,2
Variable in public use data file: SC_HISPANIC_R; SC_RACE_R

Denominator: Children ages 0-17 years

Numerator: Hispanic; White, non-Hispanic; Black, non-Hispanic; Asian, non-Hispanic; Other, non-Hispanic

Revisions and Changes: There was a slight change in the way the question on race was asked in 2019 compared to 2018. The "Some other race" option was removed in 2019.

Additional Notes: The questions about child's Hispanic origin and race were asked in the initial screening questionnaire. Responses to the question asked about the child's race are combined into SC_RACE_R and Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin is included as SC_HISPANIC_R. Hispanic origin and race information for the selected sample child was provided in the "Topical" public use file provided by the Census Bureau. For raceAsia_19, children reporting Hispanic or Latino ethnicity (SC_HISPANIC_R=1) are counted as Hispanic regardless of reported race in SC_RACE_R. Non-Hispanic children (SC_HISPANIC_R=2) are grouped by race based on SC_RACE_R. Non-Hispanic children reporting one race category of American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander are grouped as "Other, non-Hispanic" because of small sample sizes in many states. Non-Hispanic children who reported more than one race are categorized as "Other, non-Hispanic". Hispanic origin had 0.6% missing cases and race had 0.7% missing values. The 2019 NSCH public use data file provided by the Census Bureau includes values of single imputation for these missing cases in the variables SC_HISPANIC_R and SC_RACE_R

Treatment of Unknown Values: Missing values may be due to non-response (i.e. a skipped item) or a “don’t know” response. The way these items are handled can vary by measure. For NPMs and NOMs, having missing values for all items in an indicator will lead to the case being given a missing value on the overall measure. For some other measures, if there is a missing value on any of the items, the case will be set to missing. How missing values are handled is documented in the "Additional notes" field above when required.
Missing values are not included in the denominator when calculating prevalence estimates and weighted population counts displayed in the Interactive Data Query results table. In the majority of cases, the proportion of missing values is less than 2%. Exceptions are noted in the form of a Data Alert at the bottom of a results table. The exclusion of these values does not change the prevalence estimates (%) and only marginally affects the weighted population counts (Pop. Est.). To learn about the impact of the missing values on the population count estimates, click here.

History and Development:
About NSCH
The National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH), funded and directed by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), is designed to provide annual national and state-level information on the health and well-being of children ages 0-17 years in the United States. The U.S. Census Bureau administers the survey, oversees the sampling, and produces a final data set of survey results. HRSA’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) develops survey content in collaboration with the U.S. Census Bureau and a Technical Expert Panel. The Technical Expert Panel consists of experts in survey methodology and children’s health, federal and state stakeholders, clinicians and researchers. In 2016, the NSCH underwent a significant redesign which combined content from both the NSCH and the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS-CSHCN). Further information on that redesign can be found in “The Design and Implementation of the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health”.
The NSCH is conducted as a household survey, and one child per household is selected to be the subject for the detailed age-specific questionnaire. The respondent to this questionnaire is a parent or guardian who is living in the home and has knowledge of the sampled child. Survey participants complete either web-based or self-administered paper-and-pencil questionnaires. Data from the NSCH is used for scientific research, federal policy and program development, and state-level planning and performance reporting. Information is collected on factors related to the health and well-being of children, including access to and utilization of health care, receipt of care in a medical home, systems of care for CSHCN, family interactions, parental health, school and after-school experiences, and neighborhood characteristics.
More information about the survey can be found in the “About the National Survey of Children’s Health” section of this website and HRSA’s MCHB website.