The 1998 Ohio Family Health Survey was developed to obtain baseline measures of health insurance coverage, health status, health risk behaviors, access to care, health care utilization, health care costs, satisfaction with care and unmet health needs. The Gallup Organization administered the telephone survey from January through August 1998. Interviews were conducted with one adult in each of 16,261 Ohio households. Information was also gathered for 5,788 children from interviews with adult family members.

Several reports summarizing the 1998 Ohio Family Health Survey are available from the Ohio Department of Health, Bureau of Health Services Information and Operational Support:

1. Analyses of uninsured Ohioans, including length of time uninsured, demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the short-term and long-term uninsured, prior insurance type, reasons for being uninsured and the percentage reporting problems from being uninsured.
2. Estimates of the number and percentage of uninsured in each Ohio county, including separate estimates for adults and children.
3. A summary of private and employer-sponsored health insurance coverage and offer rates in Ohio by demographic, socioeconomic and employment characteristics.
4. A summary of prescription drug coverage rates, sources of coverage and reported problems obtaining needed medications by demographic, socioeconomic and other population characteristics.
5. Summaries of the health status of Ohio residents and selected health risk behaviors by race, other demographic characteristics and insurance status.
6. Profiles of Ohio?s inner-city, minority, elderly and female populations.
7. Several multivariate analyses that explore the relationship between demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, insurance coverage, health status and access to health care.
8. Several studies that examine the relationship between race or ethnicity and health coverage, health care utilization, health risk behaviors, health care access, health care quality and health care satisfaction after controlling for other demographic and socioeconomic characteristics.
9. Detailed tables for each major content area of the survey.

Demographic and socioeconomic characteristics in these reports include gender, age group, race, ethnicity, educational attainment, marital status, family composition, family income, county type and work status.
The 1998 Ohio Family Health Survey raw data are publicly available to researchers for analysis. The data are in ASCII and SAS formats on a CD-ROM. Because the survey is not a simple random sample, we recommend that specialized survey analysis software (such as SAS, SUDAAN, WESVAR or STATA) be used to calculate the variance of any survey estimates. To order the data, please see our Data Request Form at OFHSReForm.PDF.

For additional information about the 1998 Ohio Family Health Survey, contact

Donald Reed
Ohio Department of Health
Bureau of Health Services Information and Operational Support
246 N. High Street
Columbus, OH 43215

Telephone: (614) 644-7803
Fax: (614) 564-2419

E-Mail: BHSIOS@odh.ohio.gov