About the NSCH data
About the NSCH data
The National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) is an electronic (web) and paper based (mail-in) survey of parent(s)/guardian(s) with non-institutionalized children under 18 years of age. The purpose of the survey is to generate data about children, their families, and neighborhoods to help guide policymakers, advocates, and researchers. Baseline estimates are used for federal and state Title V Maternal and Child Health performance measures, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau companion objectives for Healthy People 2010/2020, and data for each state’s 5-year Title V needs assessment.
The national survey (50 states and Washington DC) provides reasonably precise estimates from a representative sample of children under 18 years of age. In 2019-2020, a national total of 72,210 child-level topical interviews (44.6% overall response rate), including 1,233 in Minnesota (50.5% overall response rate), were collected via electronic (web) and paper based (mail in) survey between June 2019 and January 2020. A new survey design was applied in 2016 to address declining response rates and higher costs associated with telephone-based surveys.
The survey covers information on more than 70 child health and well-being indicators including:
- Physical and dental health.
- Emotional and mental health.
- Health insurance coverage.
- Health care access/medical homes and quality.
- Community and school activities/experiences.
- Family health and activities.
- Neighborhood safety and support.
The survey provides national and state-level estimates for all children under age 18 for the following oral health related measures:
- Past year oral health problems (e.g. toothache, decayed teeth or unfilled cavities).
- At least one past year dental visit (e.g. check-ups, x-rays or filling cavities).
- At least one past year preventive dental visit (e.g. check-ups and dental cleanings).
- Unmet dental care need (e.g. delayed or not received) within the past year.
- Overall condition of teeth (e.g. excellent/very good).
- Children that were ever breastfed or fed breast milk or breastfed or fed breast milk for 6-months or longer.
The survey allows identification of possible factors associated with each of the oral health measured above such as:
- Sex of child.
- Age of child.
- Race and ethnicity of child.
- Primary language spoken at home.
- Parent/guardian highest level of education.
- Household poverty.
- Household insurance (e.g. private, public, or uninsured).
- Children with special health care needs.
- Identify risk or protective factors in children’s oral health and access to dental care.
- Measure progress toward achieving national health objectives defined through Healthy People 2010/2020 goals and objectives.
- Need assessments, program planning and monitoring of the Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant Program.
- Foundation for scientific studies.
- Prevalence of specific oral conditions such as toothache, decay/cavities, broken teeth, or bleeding gums, asked only in the 2007 to 2008 survey.
- Prevalence of dental sealants.
- Use of fluoride varnish.
- Data collection: 2003 to 2012
- Telephone survey conducted in English and Spanish every 5 years.
- The National Center for Health Statistics’ State and Local Area Integrated Telephone Survey (SLAITS) program carried out sampling and data collection.
- Telephone numbers are called at random to identify households with one or more children under 18 years old. In each household, one child was randomly selected to be the subject of the interview.
- Landline phones were exclusively used in 2003 to 2008 survey years; addition of cellular phones occurred in 2011 to 2012.
- Survey results are weighted to represent the population of non-institutionalized children under 18 years old nationally and in each state.
- Data files are downloadable at the National Center for Health Statistics.
|
NSCH survey year |
U.S. completed surveys |
State completed surveys |
More information |
|---|---|---|---|
|
2003 to 2004 |
102,353 |
1,483 to 2,241 |
|
|
2007 to 2008 |
91,642 |
1,725 to 1,932 |
|
|
2011 to 2012 |
95,677 |
1,811 to 2,200 |
- Data collection: since 2016
- Electronic (web) and paper based (mail-in) survey conducted in English and Spanish every year, using an address-based sampling frame.
- The U.S. Census Bureau carried out the survey for the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department of Health and Human Services.
- The survey over-sampled children under age 6 and children with special health care needs (CHSCN). This means that in households with 2 or more children, CSHCN and children under 6 years had a higher probability of being selected, compared to other children in the household.
- Survey results are weighted to represent the population of non-institutionalized children under 18 years old nationally and in each state.
- Data files are downloadable at the U.S. Census Bureau, NSCH.
|
NSCH survey year |
U.S. completed surveys |
State completed surveys |
More information |
|---|---|---|---|
|
2016 |
50,212 |
638 to 1,351 |
|
|
2017 |
21,599 |
343 to 454 |
|
|
2018 |
30,530 |
520 to 769 |
|
|
2019 |
29,433 |
474 to 651 |
|
|
2020 |
42,777 |
644 to 3,039 |
- Oral health problems: The percent of children (1 to 17 years) who have had one or more oral health problems (e.g. toothache, decayed teeth, or unfilled cavities) in the past year.
- Dental visit: The percent of children (1 to 17 years) with at least one dental visit (e.g. check-ups, x-rays or filling cavities) within the past year.
- Preventive dental visit: The percent of children (1 to 17 years) with at least one preventive dental visit (e.g. check-ups and dental cleanings) within the past year.
Oral health problems
The number of children (1 to 17 years) whose parent/guardian reported their child had at least one oral health problem (e.g. toothache, decayed teeth, or unfilled cavity) in the past year divided by the total number of children (1 to 17 years) whose parent/guardian responded to the survey question, multiplied by 100 to get a percent.
Dental visit
The number of children (1 to 17 years) whose parent or guardian reported their child had a dental visit (e.g. check-ups, x-rays or filling cavities) in the past year divided by the total number of children (1 to 17 years) whose parent or guardian responded to the survey question, multiplied by 100 to get a percent.
Preventive dental visit
The number of children (1 to 17 years) whose parent or guardian reported their child had a preventive dental visit (e.g. check-ups and dental cleanings) in the past year divided by the total number of children (1 to 17 years) whose parent or guardian responded to the survey question, multiplied by 100 to get a percent.
Note: Methods to adjust for population characteristics were used to create representative national and state estimates.
United States and Minnesota non-institutionalized children (i.e., not living in jail, prison, or hospital setting) under 18 years of age.
- Self-reported by parent or guardian.
- Cross-sectional survey design does not allow determination of cause and effect.
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A little over half of Minnesota households in the sample completed the survey (50.5% overall response rate).
-
Major survey methodology changes occurred in 2016. Therefore, caution should be used when comparing current data to survey years prior to 2016.
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2003 to 2012 NSCH surveys used a telephone-based sample. NSCH surveys since 2016 use an address-based sample.
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2003 to 2012 NSCH surveys defined Poverty using the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Poverty Guidelines. The 2016 NSCH survey defined Poverty using U.S. Census Bureau Poverty Threshold values.
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- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics.
- Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau.
- 2003 to 2012 NSCH Survey
- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) defines federal poverty levels based on Poverty Guidelines. DHHS Poverty Guidelines are used primarily for administrative purposes, for example to determine financial eligibility for certain federal programs. The HHS Guidelines change each year, issued in the Federal Register. As a result, caution must be used when comparing indicators in the National Survey of Children’s Health data by poverty level across years.
- 2016 to 2020 NSCH Survey
- Family Poverty Ratio (FPL) – the family poverty ratio is calculated as the ratio of total family income and the family poverty threshold, reported as a rounded percentage. The family poverty threshold comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Poverty Thresholds. Thresholds do not vary across geographies, but vary by family size and the number of related children under 18 years. Poverty Thresholds are used primarily for statistical purposes.
|
Oral health questions |
Response items |
|---|---|
|
Indicator 1.2 (K2Q01_D; AGEYR_CHILD): [children 1 to 17 years with natural teeth] How would you describe the condition of [child name]’s teeth? |
|
|
Indicator 1.2a (K4Q39; AGEYR_CHILD): [children 1 to 17 years with natural teeth] Has [child name]’s had one or more oral health problems (such as toothache, decayed teeth or unfilled cavities) in the past 12-months? |
|
|
Indicator 1.3 (K6Q40; AGEYR_CHILD): (children 6-months to 5 years only) Has [child’s name] ever been breastfed or fed breast milk during infancy? |
|
| Indicator 1.3a (K6Q40; K6Q41R; K6Q42R; K6Q43R; AGEYR_CHILD): (children 6 months-5 years only) Was [child’s name] exclusively breastfed or given breast milk for their first six months? |
|
| Indicator 4.2 (K4Q21R; K4Q30; AGEYR_CHILD): During the past 12-months since [his/her] birth, how many times did [child’s name] see a dentist for preventive dental care such as check-ups and dental cleanings? |
|
| Indicator 4.2a: During the past 12-months since [his/her] birth, did [child’s name] see a dentist for any kind of dental care including check-ups, dental cleanings, x-rays or filling cavities? |
|
| Indicator 4.6a (K4Q28X02; AGEYR_CHILD): During the past 12-months, was there any time when [child’s name] needed dental health care but it was delayed or not received? |
|
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB). National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH). Collected by the Minnesota Oral Health Program. St. Paul, Minnesota: MN Public Health Data Access portal. [Add URL] Retrieved month, year.
National Survey of Children’s Health, Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health, http://www.childhealthdata.org/learn/NSCH
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, State and Local Area Integrated Telephone Survey, http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/slaits/nsch.htm
Please send questions or comments to: health.oral@state.mn.us