If a stranger came up and started asking you this stuff, you might be tempted to tell them to get lost. But every year since 1957, tens of thousands of Americans have opened their homes to government survey takers who poke and prod their way through a list of intimate and occasionally uncomfortable questions. That process is part of the National Health Interview Survey, the gold standard of health data in the United States.
Experts say it is unique in its sample size, the scope of its questions, and how long it has existed. The NHIS is crucial to our ability to track the prevalence of diseases and health-related behaviors, and to answer complex questions involving health, income and family demographics. And now it’s about to change. The National Center for Health Statistics, the branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that conducts the survey, is planning a big shift in how the NHIS works, one that some scientists fear will impair their ability to learn about things like how stepmothers can subtly disadvantage children — investigations that end up shaping everything from the way your money gets spent to the policies your legislators vote on.
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