Codes and Frequencies
Description
For sample children age 17 and under, CHMOCARE reports parents' responses to the question, "Does [sample child] need or use more medical care, mental health, or educational services than is usual for most children of the same age?" According to the 2002 Field Representative's Manual, "Mental Health Services is respondent defined."
Data Collection
CHMOCARE was part of the Children with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) Supplement included in the Sample Child Health Care Access and Utilization section of the NHIS. Before beginning this part of the survey, interviewers read the following statement:
The question for CHMOCARE was the first item in the section of the CSHCN dealing with "Medical Care, Mental Health, and Educational Services." Respondents who answered "yes" to CHMOCARE received the follow-up question, "Is this because of any medical, behavioral or other health condition?" (CHMOCAREHC). Persons with a "yes" response in CHMOCAREHC received an additional follow-up question, "Is this a condition that has lasted or is expected to last for at least 12 months?" (CHMOCAREYR).
Purpose of Inquiry
The 2002 Field Representative's Manual provides the following information regarding the purpose of the CSHCN Supplement:
- Behavior
- Learning
- Growth or physical development
- Abilities and activities at school or play
- The kind or amount of services needed or used
According to the 2002 Survey Description, the CSHCN Supplement was included in the NHIS "to compare the results of a face-to-face in-home interview as conducted by the NHIS with a random digit dial telephone interview as conducted by NCHS's State and Local Area Integrated Telephone Survey (SLAITS)." The Survey Description also notes that the special needs questions included in the 2001 SLAITS and 2002 NHIS were taken from a standardized screener developed by the Foundation for Accountability (FACCT). The Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative (CAHMI), in collaboration with FACCT, provides further information on this screener on their website at http://www.cahmi.org, including scoring procedures used to identify children with special health care needs.
Related Variables
For more information on the other CSHCN Supplement items and for scoring procedures, see CHNEEDRX. As noted, CHMOCARE, CHMOCAREHC, and CHMOCAREYR were items in the section of the CSHCN dealing with "Medical Care, Mental Health, and Educational Services." If children had affirmative responses in all three of these variables, they also had a value of "Yes" in the IPUMS NHIS-created variable SPNEEDSERV, indicating they met the criteria for children with special health care needs in the domain "service use above that considered usual or routine."
Universe
- 2002: Sample children under age 18.
Availability
- 2002
Weights
- 2002 : SAMPWEIGHT