PAPI Nonresponse Follow-up Letter V2

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Health Statistics
3311 Toledo Road
Hyattsville, MD 20782

You have been selected to participate in the National Health Interview Survey. This survey is conducted by
the National Center for Health Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau.
Your response matters. The information gathered in this survey is critical to understanding the health needs
of our country. Doctors, researchers, and community advocates use the data from this survey to identify
ways to help adults live healthier lives, achieve and sustain good health, and advocate for better health
programs. As a member of your community, we rely on you to make the survey results as accurate as
possible.
You cannot be replaced. We want this survey to represent the whole United States. To do this, we
randomly select addresses, and yours was selected this year. An interviewer from the U.S. Census Bureau
then talked to an adult in your household and was provided with a list of people who lived here so a person
could be randomly selected to complete this survey. You are the adult who was selected from your
household. Participation is voluntary, but we cannot replace you with another household.
The information you provide is confidential. The CDC is required by law to protect your information. We
are not permitted to publicly release your responses in a way that could identify your household.
Get started now by completing the enclosed paper questionnaire and returning it in the postage-paid return
envelope provided.
If you need help or have any questions, please email us at nhis@census.gov or call 1-800-618-5888.
To learn more about the National Health Interview Survey, see https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm.
Sincerely,

Brian C. Moyer, Ph.D.
Director, National Center for Health Statistics
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

NHIS-112(L) (09-08-2025)

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE
NATIONAL HEALTH INTERVIEW SURVEY (NHIS)
1. WHY IS MY PARTICIPATION IMPORTANT?
Only you know exactly how much your health impacts your life. Others in your household have different
health needs than you and if we don’t collect the information directly from you, our data would not be as
accurate.
2. I AM NOT SICK – WHY SHOULD I TAKE PART IN A HEALTH SURVEY?
This is a survey of the nations’ health. We want to know how many people are sick and why they are
sick. We also want to know how many people are healthy and what makes them healthy. Everyone’s
answers are important.
3. CAN I COMPLETE THE SURVEY ONLINE?
Currently, there is no online option for the National Health Interview Survey.
4. WHO WILL SEE MY ANSWERS?
We take your privacy seriously. As required by federal law, your identity can be seen only by those
National Center for Health Statistics employees and specially designated agents, like U.S. Census
Bureau employees, who need that information for a specific reason. No one else can see your answer
until the information that could identify you and/or your household has been removed.
The National Center for Health Statistics collects and uses information you provide in accordance with
System of Records Notice 09-20-0164, Health and Demographic Surveys Conducted in Probability
Samples of the United States: https://www.hhs.gov/foia/privacy/sorns/09200164/index.html
5. WHAT LAWS PROTECT MY PRIVACY?
Congress authorizes the National Health Interview Survey data collection in Section 306 of the Public
Health Services Act (42 United States Code 242k). Strict federal laws prevent us from releasing
information that could identify you or your family to anyone else without your permission. These laws are
Section 308 (d) of the Public Health Services Act (42 U.S.C. 242m(d)); the Confidential Information
Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act or CIPSEA (44 U.S.C. 3561-3583); and the Privacy Act of 1974
(5 U.S.C. § 552a).
Every National Center for Health Statistics employee, contractor, research partner, and agent has taken
an oath to keep your information private. Anyone who willingly discloses ANY identifiable information
about ANYONE in the survey could get a jail term of up to 5 years, a fine of up to $250,000 or both. In
addition to the above cited laws, the National Center for Health Statistics complies with the Federal
Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015 (6 U.S.C. §§ 151 and 151 note), which protects federal
information systems from cybersecurity risks by screening their networks.
6. WHO PROTECTS THE INTERESTS OF SURVEY PARTICIPANTS?
The Ethics Review Board (ERB) of the National Center for Health Statistics reviews survey content and
methods to protect study participants. You may call the ERB to ask about your rights as a participant in
this survey. The toll-free number is 1-800-223-8118. You will get an answering service. Please leave a
brief message with your name and phone number. Say you are calling about Protocol #2024-02. Your
call will be returned promptly.

NHIS-112(L) (09-08-2025)