The Scottish Health Survey 2011 - volume 3: technical report

Annual Report of the Scottish Health Survey for 2011. Technical Report.

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Scottish Health Survey 2011 - Survey outline

There were two main stages to the survey in 2011:

Stage 1

  • A household interview with the household reference person (HRP) or their spouse or partner
  • An individual interview with eligible participants. Eligibility criteria for each of the three sample types were as follows:
    • Main sample -up to ten adults and two children per household
    • Child boost sample - up to two children (0-15) per household
    • Health Board boost sample - up to ten adults per household

Stage 2

  • Participating adults (age 16+) at a sub-sample of main sample addresses were also eligible to participate in the Stage 2 nurse visit.

Questionnaire content

Household questionnaire

There was only one version of the household questionnaire across all three sample types in 2011. The household questionnaire documentation begins on page 7 of this documentation.

Individual questionnaire

Stage 1 questionnaire content varied depending firstly on the sample type, and then the age of the participants being interviewed. The questionnaire documentation details exactly who was eligible to answer particular modules and questions within these modules.

  • Main sample - there were two versions of the Stage 1 individual interview questionnaire for the main sample: version A and version B. The content and order of the individual interview differed depending on which version a household was selected to go through. Some topics were asked in both versions of the questionnaire, e.g. 'general health including caring' and 'eating habits for children' while other topics are only asked in one of the versions, e.g. 'accidents' in version A and 'knowledge, attitudes and motivations to health' in version B. The below table outlines which topics are asked in which version of the questionnaire.
  • Child Boost sample - The individual questionnaire at child boost households followed the same format as a main version A individual questionnaire (see table below).
  • Health Board Boost sample - Adults in the Health Board boost sample were only asked questions on those topics that appeared in both version A and version B of the individual interview, for example, general health, and physical activity.
CORE SAMPLE - Stage 1 interview outline
Version A Version B
Household questionnaire including household composition
General health including caring (0+)
General CVD (16+) and use of services (0+)
Accidents (0+) -
Physical activity adults (16+) and children (2-15)
Eating habits children (2-15)
Fruit and veg consumption (2+)
Smoking and Drinking (16+) [16-19 in a self completion]
Dental health (16+)
Dental services (16+)  
Social capital (16+)  
Discrimination and harassment (16+) -
Economic activity (16+)
Stress at work (16+) -
Education (16+)
Ethnic background, national identity and religion (0+)
Family health background (16+)
Self-completions (13+ & parents of 4-12 yr olds)
Height (2+) and Weight (0+)
Data linkage and follow-up research consents (0+)
- Attitudes to Health (16+)
- 1 adult per household

Child Boost - Interview outline (0-15 only)
Household composition (head of household)
General health including caring (0+)
Use of services (0+)
Accidents (0+)
Physical activity children (2-15)
Eating habits children (2-15)
Fruit and veg consumption (2+)
Self-completions (13+ & parents of 4-12 yr olds)
Height (2+) and Weight (0+)
Data linkage and follow-up research consents (0+)

Health Board Boost sample - Interview outline (16+ only)
Household composition (head of household)
General health including caring
Respiratory & CVD symptoms
General CVD and use of services
Physical activity adults
Eating habits
Fruit and veg consumption
Smoking and Drinking [16-19 in a self completion]
Dental health
Economic activity and Education
National identity, ethnicity and religion
Family health background
Self-completions
Height and Weight
Data linkage and follow-up research consents (0+)

Some adults in the main sample who took part in the Stage 1 interviewer visit were also eligible to take part in the Stage 2 follow-up nurse visit. The contents of the nurse questionnaire are outlined in the table below and the nurse questionnaire documentation begins on page 135 of this documentation.

Outline of Stage 2 nurse visit
Prescribed medicines (age 16+)
Vitamin supplements (age 16+)
Nicotine replacement therapy (age 16+)
Blood pressure (age 16+)
Depression, anxiety and self-harm (age 16+)
Food poisoning (age 16+)
Waist and hip measurements (age 16+)
Demi-span (arm length) (age 65+)
Lung function (age 16+)
Blood sample (age 16+)
Saliva sample (age 16+)
Urine sample (age 16+)

Contact

Email: Julie Ramsay

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