Race:
The race of an individual (or householder responding to a household survey) generally adheres to definitions adopted by the U.S. Census Bureau, which does not denote a clear-cut scientific definition of biological stock. Adopted in 1997, the categories for race selected by respondents include American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Black or African American; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; and White. The categories for ethnicity include Hispanic or Latino and Not Hispanic or Latino. Hispanics and Latinos may be of any race and are tallied separately. Most Hispanics report themselves as White, but some report themselves as Black or other categories. The question on race was modifed for Census 2000 to allow respondents to identify one or more races. The Asian and Pacific Islander category was split into two categories Asian, and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander. There are six specified Asian and three detailed Pacific Islander categories shown on the Census 2000 questionnaires, as well as Other Asian and Other Pacific Islander which have write-in areas for respondents to provide other race responses. Finally, the category Some Other Race, which is intended to capture responses such as Mulatto, Creole, and Mestizo, also has a write-in area. In surveys such as the American Housing Survey, when respondents refuse to answer, the interviewer decided on a race only for people she or he sees, and others may be imputed by computer. People who indicate only one race are referred to as the race alone population, or the group who reported only one race. For example, respondents who marked only the White category would be included in the ‘‘White alone population.’’ Respondents who reported they were White and Black or African American, or White and American Indian, or Alaska Native and Asian2 would be included in the Two or more races category.
In the National Health Interview Survey, starting with 2002, race-specific estimates were tabulated using the 1997 Standards for data year 1999 and beyond and are not strictly comparable with estimates for earlier years. The 1997 Standards specify five single-race categories plus multiple-race categories. Estimates for specific race groups are shown when they meet requirements for statistical reliability and confidentiality. The race categories white only, black or African American only, American Indian or Alaska Native only, Asian only, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander only include persons who reported only one racial group; the category 2 or more races includes persons who reported more than one of the five racial groups in the 1997 Standards or one of the five racial groups and ‘‘some other race.’’ Prior to data year 1999, data were tabulated according to the 1977 Standards with four racial groups, and the Asian only category included Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. Estimates for single-race categories prior to 1999 included persons who reported one race or, if they reported more than one race, identified one race as best representing their race. Differences between estimates tabulated using the two standards for data year 1999 are discussed in the footnotes for each NHIS table.