The CHS is a cross-sectional telephone survey with an annual sample of approximately 8,500 randomly selected adults aged 18 and older from all five boroughs of New York City (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, and Staten Island). A computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) system is used to collect survey data from selected respondents with landline telephones and cell phones (since 2009). Interviews are conducted in English, Spanish, Russian, and Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese). All data collected are self-reported.
Strengths of the CHS include its broad coverage of the NYC adult population living in households; its ability to track health indicators over time; and its ability to address new and emerging public health issues. A limitation of the survey is that the sampling methodology does not capture those living in households without any telephone service and data collected before 2009 does not capture households that only had a cell phone. It also excludes adults living in group quarters such as college dormitories, correctional facilities, and other types of institutional settings.
The survey sampling methodology does not capture the following groups: households without any telephone service and (prior to 2009) households that only have a cell phone. The CHS also excludes adults living in institutional group housing, such as college dormitories.
SAMPLING
The CHS uses a stratified random sample to produce neighborhood and citywide estimates. Strata are defined using the United Hospital Fund's (UHF) neighborhood designation, modified slightly for the addition of new zip codes since UHF's initial definitions. There are 42 UHF neighborhoods in NYC, each defined by several adjoining zip codes.
Starting in 2009, a second sample consisting of cell-only households with New York City exchanges was added.
A computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) system is used to collect the survey data. The CHS sampling frame was constructed with a list of telephone numbers provided by a commercial vendor. Upon agreement to participate in the survey, one adult is randomly selected from the household to complete the interview.
Interviewing is conducted in a variety of languages. Every year, the questionnaire is translated from English into Spanish, Russian, and Chinese. Typically, data collection begins in March of the study year and ends in November. The average length of the survey is 25 minutes.
SAMPLE SIZE, RESPONSE AND COOPERATION RATES
The sample size (completed interviews), the response rate and the cooperation rate are provided for each year of the survey in the table shown here: http://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/data/data-sets/community-health-survey-methodology.page .
Response and cooperation rates are measurements of overall survey participation among those sampled. More specifically, the Cooperation Rate is defined as the number of those who participated in the survey, divided by the number of individuals in the sample who were contacted and identified as eligible. The Response Rate is a more conservative measure and is defined as the number of individuals who participated in the survey, divided by the number of individuals in the sample who were contacted and identified as eligible, as well as those never contacted and those with unknown eligibility.
While there are multiple ways to calculate both these rates, the Health Department uses American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) Third Definition for CHS (see Data Resources for link).
DATA ANALYSIS
In order to appropriately analyze CHS data, a weight is applied to each record. The weight consists of an adjustment for the probability of selection (number of adults in each household / number of residential telephone lines), as well as a post-stratification weight. The post-stratification weights are created by weighting each record up to the population of the UHF neighborhood, while taking into account the respondent's age, gender and race. Starting in 2009, responses were also weighted to account for the distribution of the adult population comprising three telephone usage categories (landline only, landline and cell, cell only) using data from the 2008 New York City Housing and Vacancy Survey.
If you need assistance with the data, wish to suggest additional variables to be added, or have additional questions about the survey's methodology, please send an email to survey@health.nyc.gov .
(1) The American Association for Public Opinion Research. 2016. Standard definitions: Final Dispositions of Case Codes and Outcome Rates for Surveys. (PDF) 9th edition. AAPOR.
Description of Data
The CHS is a cross-sectional telephone survey with an annual sample of randomly selected adults aged 18 and older from all five boroughs of New York City (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, and Staten Island). A computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) system is used to collect survey data from selected respondents with landline telephones and cell phones (since 2009). Interviews are conducted in English, Spanish, Russian, and Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese). All data collected are self-reported. The survey results are analyzed and disseminated in order to track the health of New Yorkers, influence health program decisions, and increase the understanding of the relationship between health behavior and health status. Strengths of the CHS include its broad coverage of the NYC adult population living in households, its ability to track health indicators over time, and its ability to address new and emerging public health issues. A limitation of the survey is that the sampling methodology does not capture those living in households without any telephone service and data collected before 2009 did not capture households that only had a cell phone. It also excludes adults living in group quarters such as college dormitories, correctional facilities, and other types of institutional settings.
