Description
MORTWT reports the sampling weight that adjusts for ineligible respondents in mortality analysis based on linking NHIS respondents during survey years 1986 to 2004 to the National Death Index (NDI).
Because adult survey participants who provided insufficient data for linking may differ from those who provided enough data for linking, ignoring the ineligible adult respondents could lead to biased mortality analysis. To correct this bias, NCHS developed the eligibility-adjusted weight in MORTWT (available for 1986-2004) for use with variables from the NHIS person files and MORTWTSA (available for 1997-2004) for use with variables from the sample adult files. NCHS cautions that the MORTWT, rather than the standard person weight (PERWEIGHT), should be used when analyzing mortality variables in conjunction with variables from the person files. Similarly, MORTWTSA should be used when analyzing mortality variables in conjunction with variables from the sample adult files.
Linked Mortality Data
Only persons who were age 18+ at the time of interview and who provided sufficient data were eligible for linking to the NDI and eligible for inclusion in the linked public use mortality files (indicated by IHIS code 1 in MORTELIG). Linked mortality data for children are not available for public use; researchers interested in access to such data, or in linked mortality data with additional detail, should review the technical documentation at NHIS Linked Mortality Files.
For additional information, see the variable description for MORTELIG, the IHIS User Note on the use of sampling weights, and the related technical documents from NCHS, including the material on the creation and analysis of the NHIS Linked Mortality Files and the NHIS Analytic Guidelines (2010) at NHIS Linked Mortality Files.
Related Variables
IHIS also includes the following additional mortality variables released by NCHS in the NHIS linked mortality files:
- MORTSTAT (Final mortality status)
- MORTDODY (Year of death)
- MORTDODQ (Quarter of death)
- MORTUCOD (Underlying cause of death)
- MORTDIAB (Multiple cause of death flag, diabetes as a contributing factor)
- MORTHIPFX (Multiple cause of death flag, hip fracture as a contributing factor)
- MORTHYPR (Multiple cause of death flag, hypertension as a contributing factor)
- MORTCMS (Mortality status obtained from Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services)
- MORTNDI (Mortality match with National Death Index)
- MORTSSA (Mortality status obtained from Social Security Administration)
Universe
- 1986: All persons age 18+.
- 1987-2004: All persons age 18+ eligible for mortality follow-up.
MORTWT is a variable with five columns and two implied decimal places.
Availability
- 1986-2004
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Weights
- 1986-2004 : MORTWT
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