The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) is one of a family of health surveys conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), which is the U.S. government's health statistics agency. The NHIS was authorized in 1956 by an act of Congress—the National Health Survey Act—Which stipulated that NCHS was "to provide for a continuing survey and special studies to secure accurate and current statistical information on the amount, disruption, and effects of illness and disability in the United States, and the services received for or because of such conditions." NCHS is now part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The NHIS is an annual national household survey, conducted throughout the ...