About the NSCH-LC Survey

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About the NSCH-LC Survey

What is the National Survey of Children’s Health – Longitudinal Cohort (NSCH-LC)?

The NSCH-LC is a national survey that focuses on the physical and emotional health of children and young adults ages 3 to 24 in the United States. The NSCH-LC followed up with households that were interviewed for the 2018 or 2019 National Survey of Children's Health. The NSCH-LC collected information from parents and caregivers related to the health and well-being of the same children and young adults in 2023 and 2024, including access to and use of health care, family interactions, mental health, school and after-school experiences, and family economic circumstances.

Why is the National Survey of Children’s Health – Longitudinal Cohort important?

The NSCH-LC tracks the same children and their families over time to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted children, young adults, and their families. The results of the NSCH-LC will help inform the development of federal policies and programs aimed at improving the health and well-being of children and young adults. For more information about this survey or about health and well-being of children and young adults, click here .

What kinds of questions does the survey ask?

Survey topics include:

Health care
Family interactions and characteristics
Physical and mental health status
School and after-school experiences
Family economic circumstances

How were data collected?

Participants answered survey questions online, by mail, or over the phone. Participants first completed a screener questionnaire to determine if their address represents an occupied residence, and if eligible children or young adults ages 3-24 lived with the respondent or another adult in the household since 2018.

Eligible households then completed one of the three age-specific questionnaires based on the age of the child or young adult:

· NSCH-LC1 for children aged 3-5 years,

· NSCH-LC2_3 for children aged 6-17 years, or

· NSCH-LC4 for young adults aged 18-24 years.

For more information about the survey design see our Technical Documentation Page.

Where can I find copies of the questionnaire?

Census publishes informational versions of the paper questionnaires at the start of data collection. Questionnaires are located on our Questionnaire Page.

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How often are data collected and released?

The NSCH-LC data collection period will be from winter 2023 through spring 2024. Publicly available datasets are expected to be released in spring 2025.

What type of data is available?

Census publishes the data in both STATA and SAS files. The data will be located on our Data Page as of spring 2025.

Is there a way to navigate or search for specific data variables?

Yes, the NSCH-LC codebook will be available in spring 2025 and can help users find specific data and identifies changes over time.

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