IPUMS-NHIS Inconsistent Documentation for Nativity Variables After 2019

HEALTH SURVEYS
1

Hi, I am attempting to use the IPUMS NHIS data as an alternate source from IPUMS-CPS ASEC for characterizing veterans with health insurance. However, when accessing variables for Ethnicity/Nativity, I found that

  1. Variable USBORN suddenly removed the distinctions between levels of “not being born in the US” after 2019 without explanation. I know that it says after 2019 they combined 50 states + DC into one yes category but that still does not explain the issue with the no categories.
  2. Variable REGIONBR contains the region of birth for individuals in the survey. Why was this suddenly stop collected from 2019 onwards?

Can someone please provide an explanation for both of these variables having abrupt changes and/or inconsistent documentation? Is there reasoning behind these two issues that can be disclosed in the documentation or to researchers like me trying to use the data?

2

Beginning in 2019, the NHIS introduced a redesigned survey and disclosure avoidance protocols to certain variables. Information on place of birth (U.S. state or territory, or outside of the U.S.) and citizenship status is collected as part of the survey, but no longer available in the public-use data files. As IPUMS NHIS provides only the publicly available NHIS data, this change impacts both USBORN and REGIONBR variables. For more information on this, see our user note on the 2019 NHIS redesign and the 2019 NHIS survey description (Nativity section on page 73).

Note that these variables may be available in restricted use versions of the data. If your project timeline allows, you might consider pursuing access to restricted use versions of the data in an FSRDC or the NCHS Research Data Center.