The Cycle 4 NPHS Household component collected in-depth information on the health of the longitudinal respondent who was randomly selected in Cycle 1 and also demographic information about all members of the longitudinal respondent household. The health questionnaire includes questions related to health status, use of health services, determinants of health, chronic conditions and activity restrictions. Socio-demographic information is also collected; it includes age, sex, education, ethnicity, household income and labour force status.

The questionnaire includes questions related to health status, use of health services, determinants of health, chronic conditions and activity restrictions, and demographic and socio-economic status. For example, health status was measured through questions on self-perception of health, functional ability, chronic conditions, and activity restriction. The use of health services was measured through questions on visits to health care providers (traditional and non-traditional), hospital care and on use of drugs and other medications. Health determinants that were explored included smoking, alcohol use and physical activity. Questions were asked on preventive tests and examinations, which probed for frequency and reasons for use. Demographic and socio-economic information include age, sex, education, ethnicity, race, household income and labour force status.

The major focus of Cycle 4 was stress. Stress questions from Cycle 1 were brought back in Cycle 4. They covered ongoing problems, recent life events, childhood and adult stressors, work stress, self-esteem and mastery. A new question on self-perceived stress was added to the general health section. In addition, more detailed questions about arthritis, diabetes and heart disease were introduced as focus content. The Injuries section was modified to include new content and to bring categories in line with ICD -10 (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision). Major revisions to the Labour Force section were also made in order to include new content and to bring concepts in line with those of the Labour Force Survey.

Keywords:

Geographic coverage: Canada , including additional buy-in samples in Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario.

Time period: 1994-2001

Periodicity: biennial

Date(s) of collection:

Universe: household residents in the ten Canadian provinces in 1994/1995 excluding persons living on Indian Reserves and Crown Lands, residents of health institutions, full-time members of the Canadian Forces Bases and some remote areas in Ontario and Quebec.

Data type: synthetic microdata file

Sample: stratified multi-stage

Unit of observation: household

Mode of data collection: generated from master files. For a description of the generation procedure, see: readme file.

Citation: Statistics Canada. National population health survey public use microdata files - cycle 4, 2000-2001: longitudinal file [computer file]. Synthetic edition. Ottawa, Ont.: Statistics Canada [producer]; Statistics Canada. Data Liberation Initiative [distributor], 2002.

Extent of file: 1 data file (17,276 logical records), 3 bootstrap weights files (13,582, 14,321 and 17,276 logical records) & accompanying documentation (61 files)

Notes:

Original dissemination medium: ftp.

Starting with the collection of Cycle 4 data in 2000-2001, the National Population Health Survey (NPHS) is strictly longitudinal in nature.

To provide greater flexibility to users, one microdata master file is being issued for NPHS Cycle 4. This file includes all 17,276 NPHS panel members, notwithstanding their response patterns from Cycles 1 to 4. Within the master file, four subsets of respondents have been created with corresponding sampling weights and a flag to make their identification easier.

For Cycle 4, the longitudinal respondent was the only person who provided all the answers to General and Health component questionnaires.

During the first three cycles, in each household some limited information was collected from all household members (General component - H05, e.g., socio-demographic characteristics and labour force activity) and in Cycle 1, one person in each household was randomly selected as the longitudinal respondent for a more in-depth interview (Health component, H06, e.g., health status). From Cycle 4 onwards, the General and Health component questionnaires were combined into a unique questionnaire. Now, the longitudinal respondent answers to the household related questions.

The longitudinal sample, also called the longitudinal panel or simply the panel, is composed of the 17,276 persons that were selected in Cycle 1 and had completed at least the General component of the questionnaire in Cycle 1. It also includes 2,022 children from the first cycle (1994–1995) of the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY). These children were interviewed by the NLSCY for the NPHS in Cycle 1 and are interviewed by the NPHS since the second cycle. This panel, surveyed in Cycles 2, 3, 4 and 5, will be surveyed in future NPHS cycles. Additional samples added to Cycles 1, 2 and 3 for cross-sectional purposes are not part of the longitudinal sample. The longitudinal sample is not renewed over time. No panel members were or are to be classified out-of-scope. The longitudinal sample size remains the same (17,276) for all cycles. Consequently, for Cycle 5, all longitudinal panel members were 8 years old and over and the longitudinal sample did not contain anyone who has immigrated to Canada after 1994-1995.

This product also provides Statistics Canada’s Bootvar documentation and programs in SAS and SPSS formats for calculating the variance of estimates. Two dummy bootstrap weight files corresponding to the Dummy File are also included to help develop and test the variance calculation programs. These dummy bootstrap weight files simulate the original file, have the same record layout and contain the same variables, but the weight values have been modified.

Related data:

Other editions of NPHS dummy files
Master file available via remote access [see pages 1-2]
Master file also availin Research Data Centres

Status: