National Health Survey
CONTACT
Director
Health Section
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra
Telephone (02) 6252 6415
Facsimile (02) 6252 8007
Email health@abs.gov.au
DESCRIPTION
The National Health Survey is designed to obtain national benchmark information on a range of health and related issues, and to enable the monitoring of trends in health over time. The survey gathers information about the health status of Australians, their use of health services and facilities, and about health-related aspects of their lifestyle such as smoking, alcohol consumption and exercise. This survey can provide some insights into the interaction between health and education levels.
Scope
Includesd residents of both private and certain non-private dwellings. Persons in institutions such as hospitals and nursing homes, members of the permanent defence forces, members of non-Australian defence forces stationed in Australia and diplomatic personnel of overseas governments were excluded from the survey.
DISSEMINATION
Publications
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2002, National Health Survey: Summary of Results, 2001 (cat. no. 4364.0), ABS, Canberra.
Other publications on specific topics from the National Health Survey are also available.
Data Service
Unpublished tables are available on request. Customised tables are available in a variety of formats. A Confidentialised Unit Record File (CURF) is also available.
Release Schedule
Results from the 2001 National Health Survey were released in October 2002. Results from the 2004/05 National Health Survey are expected to be released in February 2006.
DATA ITEMS
Education
Whether attending school
Age left school
Whether completed secondary school education
Current post-school study
Whether completed post-school educational qualification
Type of post-school educational qualification (available for half the sample only)
Other
Socio-economic characteristics
Health status
Health-related actions
Health risk factors, i.e. smoking
Food intake/frequency
Self-reported physical measurements (e.g. height and weight)
GEOGRAPHY
Australia, sStates and tTerritories and capital city/balance of state. Some data may be available for major urban, other urban, bounded locality (remote) and rural balance, statistical divisions and for health regions (defined by each state health authority).
METHOD OF COLLECTION
Trained ABS interviewers conducted personal interviews with residents of approximately 24,000 private and non-private dwellings.
TIMING OF COLLECTION
Reference Period
The National Health Survey is conducted over a 12 month period, but start dates vary from survey to survey. The 2001 survey was conducted over the period January to December 2001. The 2005 survey will be conducted August 2004 to June 2005.
Frequency of Collection
Three yearly.
Historical Data
The National Health Survey was conducted in 1989-90, 1995 and 2001. Similar national surveys covering health status and the use of health services were conducted by the ABS in 1977-78 and 1983. The National Health Survey will next be conducted in August 2004 to June 2005. In 1995, the National Nutrition Survey was conducted in association with the 1995 National Health Survey as a joint project between the ABS and the then Commonwealth Department of Health and Family Services (DHFS). The survey obtained information on food and nutritional intake, eating patterns and selected physical measures.
GO TO CONTENTS OF THE DIRECTORY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING STATISTICS
GO TO DATA SOURCES
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