Directory of Data Sets for Health Management

The National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging (NACDA), located within ICPSR, is funded by the National Institute on Aging. NACDA's mission is to advance research on aging by helping researchers to profit from the under-exploited potential of a broad range of datasets.

The data collections in HMCA include surveys of health care professionals and organizations, investigations of access to medical care, surveys on substance abuse, and evaluations of innovative programs for the delivery of health care. Our goal is to increase understanding of health and health care in the United States through secondary analysis of RWJF-supported data collections.

The School Health Policies and Practices Study* (SHPPS) is a national survey periodically conducted to assess school health policies and practices at the state, district, school, and classroom levels.

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is the nation's premier system of health-related telephone surveys that collect state data about U.S. residents regarding their health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions, and use of preventive services.

The National Immunization Surveys are a group of phone surveys used to monitor vaccination coverage among children 19-35 months, teens 13-17 years, and flu vaccinations for children 6 months-17 years. The surveys are sponsored and conducted by the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and authorized by the Public Health Service Act.

The National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) was conducted three times between 2003 and 2012. It provides rich data on multiple, intersecting aspects of children’s lives—including physical and mental health, access to quality health care, and the child’s family, neighborhood, school, and social context.

The National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) is a national survey designed to meet the need for objective, reliable information about the provision and use of ambulatory medical care services in the United States. Findings are based on a sample of visits to non-federal employed office-based physicians who are primarily engaged in direct patient care.

The National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) is designed to collect data on the utilization and provision of ambulatory care services in hospital emergency and outpatient departments. Findings are based on a national sample of visits to the emergency departments and outpatient departments of noninstitutional general and short-stay hospitals.

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) series (formerly titled National Household Survey on Drug Abuse) is a major source of statistical information on the use of illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco and on mental health issues among members of the U.S. civilian, non-institutional population aged 12 or older.

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is a program of studies designed to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States. The survey is unique in that it combines interviews and physical examinations.

The Americans' Changing Lives (ACL) study is the oldest ongoing nationally representative longitudinal study of the role of a broad range of social, psychological, and behavioral factors (along with aspects of medical care and environmental exposure) in health and the way health changes with age over the adult life course.

The Health Reform Monitoring Survey, or HRMS, is an innovative new Urban Institute research program that is exploring the value of cutting-edge Internet-based survey methods to monitor the Affordable Care Act (ACA) before data from federal government surveys are available.

The National Home and Hospice Care Survey (NHHCS) is one in a series of nationally representative sample surveys of U.S. home health and hospice agencies.

The National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) is a longitudinal, population-based study of health and social factors, aiming to understand the well-being of older, community-dwelling Americans by examining the interactions among physical health and illness, medication use, cognitive function, emotional health, sensory function, health behaviors, social connectedness, sexuality, and relationship quality.

The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) is a set of large-scale surveys of families and individuals, their medical providers, and employers across the United States. MEPS is the most complete source of data on the cost and use of health care and health insurance coverage.

The clinic annual utilization data includes two types of clinics: primary care clinics and specialty clinics. Primary care clinics, which include community and free clinics, offer a full range of primary care services to the uninsured and underinsured in their communities.

The Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) creates visualizations and other data-based products from the information it manages. These products provide context to make data more useful and meaningful.

The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) monitors six types of health-risk behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of death and disability among youth and adults.

The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) is pleased to offer downloadable public-use data files through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) FTP file server. Users of this service have access to data sets, documentation, and questionnaires from NCHS surveys and data collection systems.

WONDER online databases utilize a rich ad-hoc query system for the analysis of public health data. Reports and other query systems are also available.