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NCHS

NSFG Cycle 5 (1995): Public Use Data Files, Codebooks, and Documentation

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Codebooks and Documentation

 

Questionnaire

 

Downloadable Data Files

 

Program Statements

 

Other Data Files

The Cycle 5 NSFG has other data files available to researchers – an omitted items file and contextual data files. The Omitted Items File is free of charge, upon request, but because of the sensitivity of the items in the file, requires a signed User Agreement before gaining access to the file. The Contextual Data Files are available through the NCHS Research Data Center due to the increased risk of deductive disclosure when respondent’s demographics are linked with geographic identifiers. More information is below about these files, including access instructions.

  • Omitted Items File
  • Contextual Data File

 

Omitted Items File

The Omitted Items File contains data from the more sensitive questions in the 1995 NSFG. Some of the questions were asked by the interviewer and some were asked via Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interviewing, or A-CASI, in which the respondent hears the question through headphones or reads it from the laptop screen and enters the answer directly into the computer. The object of A-CASI was to give respondents a more private opportunity to report this sensitive information. These A-CASI questions were designed to provide information on some behaviors related to the risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. There were also questions allowing women to re-report pregnancies that had led to an abortion, family background and violence questions, and questions about the A-CASI process itself. Interviewer-administered questions collected information about being told by a medical professional that she had an STI. The Cycle 5 User’s Guide [PDF - 27 KB] and codebook [PDF - 740 KB] for the 1995 Omitted Items File are available for viewing and downloading.

The omitted items data, SAS program statements, and documentation are available upon request, and without charge. Please make your request by email (nsfg@cdc.gov) or regular mail and provide:

  • a brief summary, on your organization’s letterhead, of the proposed use of the omitted items data. (If you are a student, a faculty advisor should also provide a letter of support for the proposed research.)
  • a signed User Agreement [PDF - 19 KB] which describes the specific protections in place at your institution that meet the NCHS standards for data users. Each user, including research assistants, should sign the agreement, and these signed agreements should be mailed back to NSFG staff at the address provided below.

For additional information or questions about these files, researchers may contact the NSFG staff directly via mail, email or telephone at:

National Survey of Family Growth
Reproductive Statistics Branch
Division of Vital Statistics
National Center for Health Statistics
3311 Toledo Road, Room 7318
Hyattsville, MD 20782
nsfg@cdc.gov
(301) 458-4222

When the NSFG staff has received your signed user agreement(s), you will be sent the Omitted Items File data and documentation on CD-ROM.

 

Contextual (Geographic) Data

Contextual or geographic data provide information on the context, or community, in which respondents live. Geographic data may include information for the region, state, county, census tract, or block group in which the respondent lives. There are 3 contextual data files for Cycle 5 – one for the respondent’s 1990 address, one for her 1993 address (when she participated in the National Health Interview Survey), and one for her address at the time of the 1995 NSFG interview.

The Cycle 5 Contextual Data User’s Guide [PDF 6.3 MB] can be viewed online or downloaded. It is divided into these sections.

  • The Introduction details the structure of the documentation, the form of the data, the variable naming conventions, and types of missing data values that exist in the files.
  • The Subject Index is an alphabetical listing by subject and references variable numbers under multiple subject headings. “Variable Naming Conventions” provides instructions on how the variable numbers can be used to find relevant variables in the Data Dictionary.
  • The Data Dictionary lists each variable with its complete name and the formula used for its calculation.
  • The technical appendix, Appendix A, contains definitions for the statistical measures that are used in the construction of some of the contextual measures.
  • Appendix B can be used to locate source references and user notes when more detailed source information about each variable is desired. Essential original data characteristics are described and tables listing original source variable names and descriptions are included in this appendix.
  • Appendix C contains a Codebook for each of the three files that comprise the NSFG-V Contextual Database. It provides summary statistics and missing data frequencies.

These data are available for use by the research community through the NCHS Research Data Center. The application process and the fee schedule are explained on the RDC website.

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