Feb 8 -- The Census Bureau invites public comment by March 11, 2021 regarding OMB approval of the 2021 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH), sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The NSCH enables the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) along with supplemental sponsoring agencies, states, and other data users to produce national and state-based estimates on the health and well-being of children, their families, and their communities as well as estimates of the prevalence and impact of children with special health care needs. The NSCH is designed to produce data on the physical, emotional, and behavioral health of children under 18 years of age in the United States. The NSCH collects information on factors related to the well-being of children, including access to and quality of health care, family interactions, parental health, school and after-school experiences, and neighborhood characteristics.
The NSCH is a large-scale (sample size is up to 300,000 addresses) national survey with up to 186,000 addresses included in the base production survey and approximately 114,000 addresses included as part of eight separate age-based, state-based, or region-based oversamples.
In order to inform decision making around various priorities, some stakeholders have shown interest in sponsoring an oversample of addresses as part of the annual NSCH administration. Currently, six states (Colorado, Louisiana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oregon, and Wisconsin), one region (Atlanta, GA) and one agency (CDC/NCCDPHP) are moving forward with a state-, region-, or age-based oversample option respectively as part of the 2021 NSCH. Oversamples will provide sponsors with more robust data for analysis and planning at the state or regional level. The oversamples can be classified as either a general state-wide oversample or sub-state oversample. The state-wide oversample increases the total number of sampled addresses within a given state and will be distributed proportionately across the state, following the same methodology as the production sample. State-level estimates of rare outcomes could be evaluated from this larger sample. The sub-state oversample increases sample representation for a subset of the state population. In some cases, the oversample is designed to produce a sufficiently large sample from a region or regions within a state (e.g., the Atlanta metro area). In other cases, the oversample targets geographic areas with greater representation of specific minority populations. The 2021 NSCH also includes a national oversample of households with young children.
There are a number of differences between the 2020 NSCH and the 2021 NSCH for which we are requesting OMB approval. These differences are discussed in further detail throughout Supporting Statements A & B. The sample size was approximately 240,000 addresses in 2020. For the 2021 NSCH, up to 300,000 household addresses will be selected to participate in the survey. The main production sample will be comprised of up to 186,000 addresses, while the oversamples, if approved, make up an additional 114,000 addresses. The increased number of sampled addresses are in response to additional funding via the main HRSA MCHB agreement along with the funding received from the eight age-based, state-based, and region-based oversample projects.
NSCH websites:
https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/nsch.html and
https://www.childhealthdata.org/learn-about-the-nsch
NSCH submission to OMB:
https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=202102-0607-001 Click on IC List for survey instrument, View Supporting Statement for technical documentation, including proposed changes in 2021 NSCH.
FR notice inviting comment:
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/02/08/2021-02493/agency-information-collection-activities-submission-to-the-office-of-management-and-budget-omb-for
Point of contact: Carolyn Pickering, Survey Director, U.S. Census Bureau (301) 763-3873 carolyn.m.pickering@census.gov
For AEA members wishing to submit comments to OMB, "A Primer on How to Respond to Calls for Comment on Federal Data Collections" is available at
https://www.aeaweb.org/content/file?id=5806