The National Survey of Children’s Health is released annually by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It’s used by local, state and federal officials to shape policies on the physical and mental health of children in the United States. Celebrating Women’s History Month, Government Matters’ Mimi Geerges spoke with Dr. Reem Ghandour, director of the Division of Epidemiology in the Maternal and Child Health Bureau at the Health Resources and Services Administration in HHS about the survey.
- Ghandour said she and her colleagues have made several changes to the survey, which is the largest national and state-level data collection effort tracking the health and wellbeing of American children.
- She said they changed the survey frequency from every four years to every year, narrowed it down to essential questions and switched from phone calls to online or paper forms, which helped increase response rates.
- They will release the 2021 survey, which included additional questions related to the impact of Covid-19, in October, said Ghandour.
