MEDIA ADVISORY

contact: Jason Sanford
(614) 545-0754

OHIO FAMILY HEALTH SURVEY

Summary:

The 2004 Ohio Family Health Survey (OFHS) is one of the largest and most comprehensive state-level health and insurance surveys ever conducted in the United States, with nearly 40,000 household interviews completed over the last nine months. The OFHS data is slated for a staged release (beginning in late 2004). Because of the survey’s large size and Ohio’s unique status as a bellwether for the country, the results of the survey are expected to be of national interest.

Data and research from the OFHS will be available to the media through both a public-use database and a research database. Trainings on using the research database will be held around the state later this year and early next year.


Background:

The OFHS is being conducted by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) through an outside vendor. The survey is constructed with a stratified sampling design that allows statistical inferences to be made at the county level. In addition, the survey over-samples traditionally underrepresented minority populations groups in order to allow valid comparisons of measured characteristics among these groups.

In addition to ODJFS, other survey partners are the Ohio Dept. of Health, the Health Policy Institute of Ohio, the Cuyahoga County Dept. of Jobs and Family Services, the Center for Community Solutions (formerly Cleveland Federation for Community Planning), the Franklin County Dept. of Jobs and Family Services, and the Franklin County Health Dept. ORC Macro won the contract to conduct the survey and will also do some of the preliminary analysis.

This will be the second OFHS to be completed; the first was conducted in 1998. The 1998 survey obtained baseline statewide data on health insurance coverage, health status, health risk behaviors, access to care, health care utilization, health care costs, satisfaction with care, and unmet health needs. For the 1998 survey the Gallup Organization conducted telephone polls of approximately 16,000 Ohio households between January and August 1998. Interviews were conducted with one adult in each polled household. Information was also gathered on nearly 6,000 children from interviews with adult family members. (For more on the 1998 OFHS, go to http://www.odh.state.oh.us/Data/OFHSurv/ofhs1.htm.

Stages of the OFHS and Dates of Data Release

1. August 2004: Surveying completed;
2. Late September/early October: Final draft database and methodology report being completed by vendor;
3. October: State review and approval of final database and method reports;
4. Late October/early November: Vendor production of draft report;
5. November: State and other partners’ approval of vendor report;
6. October/November: State and locals conduct additional descriptive analysis of OFHS database;
7. Early to mid December: State and local release of initial OFHS reports;
8. Fall 2004: Finalize agreement for general training on the OFHS database and create electronic access to a public use and research use version of the database;
9. Fall 2004: Release MEDTAPP RFP to solicit proposals for analysis on the OFHS database;
10. Early 2005: Public use database available;
11. Early 2005: Trainings on using the OFHS database;
12. Early 2005: Research use database available;
13. Early 2005: Finalize MEDTAPP proposal selections;
14. Mid 2005: Further state and local analysis conducted.
    
    
    

How to Gain Access to the Data

There are two main ways that Ohio media representatives and journalists can access the data for their own research:

• The media can access the public-use dataset, which will be available in early 2005. It should be noted, though, that this will be a limited dataset which can not be taken to the census-tract level. This is being done to preserve the confidentiality of individual survey respondents.
  
  
• The media can also arrange to have access to the research database, where the data has the ability to be taken to the census-tract level. All people accessing this database (including researchers, media, and others) will have to sign a pledge not to violate the confidentiality of individual survey respondents (such as by releasing information that can identify individuals who responded to the survey). Trainings on using this research database will be held around the state in late 2004/early 2005. The media are welcome to attend these trainings. More information on the trainings will be available in the coming months.

Speakers at the Sept. 23, 2004, media meeting about the OFHS:

• Lorin Ranbom (Chief of Health Services for Ohio Health Plans, Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services);
  
  
• Bill Ramsini, (Chief, Bureau of Health Information Services and Operational Support, Ohio Department of Health);
  
  
• Bill Hayes (President, Health Policy Institute of Ohio.