Current estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, 1996.

Objectives: This annual report presents national estimates, based on data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), on the incidence of acute conditions, percent of medically attended acute conditions, number of disability days, episodes of persons injured and associated activity restriction, persons with activity limitation due to chronic conditions, restricted activity days associated with acute and chronic conditions, physician contacts and short-stay hospitalizations, as well as prevalence of chronic conditions and respondent assessed health status. This edition includes a section on trends in health statistics for 1982-96.

Source of data: NHIS is a multistage probability sample survey conducted annually by interviewers of the Bureau of the Census for the National Center for Health Statistics. Data is collected during in-home interviews of the civilian noninstitutionalized U.S. population. Data collection procedures were similar from 1982 through 1996, but were changed after 1996.

Highlights: In 1996 there were 163.5 acute conditions per 100 persons, (67.9% were medically attended) and 624.0 associated days of restricted activity per 100 persons. Of acute injuries, 91.4% were medically attended. The highest rates for chronic conditions per 1000 persons included arthritis (127.3), sinusitis (125.5), deformity and orthopedic impairment (111.6), and high blood pressure (107.1). Activity limitation due to chronic conditions was reported by 14.4% of persons. There were six physician contacts per person per year and 7.3% of the population had a hospitalization in the past year. During 1982-96, the prevalence of asthma increased and the rate and duration of hospitalizations decreased.