Into the eye of the storm: The impact of the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes on population-based health survey operations

This case study presentation will describe the impact of the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes on survey operations for two large population-based surveys conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Health Statistics with contractor assistance. The surveys, the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and the 2005 – 2006 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS-CSHCN), use different data collection modes, sampling techniques, sample frames, and operating procedures. Both surveys were in the field simultaneously, which permits a review of differential impacts on operations. A few selected child-level health estimates for evacuees and non-evacuees from the NS-CSHCN will also be presented. By studying survey disruptions and their impacts, survey methodologists and researchers are better equipped to develop and prioritize proactive and reactive options and decisions to address disruptions; design a more robust survey; and advance the art and science of survey methods a priori to address real world situations.