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INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS

As noted in the Data Quality section, a range of factors have impacted on the quality of the data collected. The ABS has sought to minimise the effects of these factors through various means in the development and conduct of this survey, however, only sampling error can be quantified to allow users of the data to adjust for possible errors when using/interpreting the data. Information is not available from the survey to enable the effects of other issues affecting the data to be quantified. The relative importance of these factors will differ between topics, between items within topics, and by characteristics of respondents.

This chapter provides information on:

• General considerations for interpretation of data
• Comparability between the 2011-12 Australian Health Survey and the 2012-13 Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey
• Comparability with previous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Surveys.
  

The table below highlights general factors to be considered in interpreting the data. Comments have been included in individual topic descriptions in this publication to alert users of the data to the more significant issues likely to affect results for that topic, or items within it. These notes reflect ABS experience of past health and other surveys, feedback from users of data from those surveys, and ABS and other research on survey methods and response patterns, as well as information from survey testing and validation. However, they are indicative only, and do not necessarily reflect all factors impacting results, nor the relative importance of those factors.

FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED IN INTERPRETING THE DATA
FACTOR	DESCRIPTION
Age standardisation	Age standardisation is a technique used to enhance the comparability of rates between populations with different age structures. As many population characteristics are age-related, (for example, long-term health conditions and employment patterns), adjustments are made to account for the confounding effects of the different age structures on the prevalence of these characteristics. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population has a larger proportion of young people and a smaller proportion of older people than the non-Indigenous population. As age is strongly related to many health measures, as well as labour force status, estimates of prevalence which do not take account of age may be misleading. The age standardised estimates of prevalence are those rates that 'would have occurred' should the Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations both have the standard age composition. For this reason, where appropriate, estimates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-Indigenous people have both been age standardised to reflect the age structure of the same population — the total estimated resident population of Australia as at 30 June 2001.
Classifications and categories	The classifications and categories used in the survey provide an indication of the level of detail available in survey output. However, the ability of respondents to provide the data may limit the amount of detail that can be output. Where respondents may have used non-medical terminology, symptoms rather than conditions, or generic rather than specific terminology, conditions may only be able to be output in general terms (e.g. 'heart condition nfd' rather than 'Angina' or 'Atrial fibrillation'). Classifications used in the survey can be found in Appendix 3: ABS Standard Classifications. Survey specific classifications can be found in Appendix 2: Classification of Health Conditions and Appendix 4: Classification of BMI for children.
Collection period	The 2012-13 NATSIHS was enumerated from May 2012 to March 2013, and the NATSINPAS was enumerated from August 2012 to July 2013 in both non-remote and remote areas. When considering survey results over time or comparing them with data from another source, care must be taken to ensure that any differences between the collection periods take into consideration the possible effect of those differences on the data, for example, seasonal differences, social changes and effects of holidays.
Concepts and definitions	Some survey topics, such as alcohol consumption in the NATSIHS, have some known data quality issues. While this means the data should be interpreted with care, the information is still considered valuable for certain uses. Information regarding any known data quality issues are contained in the individual topic pages in this Users' Guide.
Personal interview and self-assessment nature of the survey	The NATSIHS and NATSINPAS were designed using personal or proxy (e.g. parent or guardian answering for a child, or a carer answering for a disabled person) interviews to obtain data on respondents’ own perceptions of their state of health, their use of health services and aspects of their lifestyle. The information obtained is therefore not necessarily based on any professional opinion (e.g. from a doctor, nurse, dentist, etc.) or on information available from records kept by respondents.
	The survey data are mainly self-reported and may differ from data sources that have different collection methodologies (e.g. administrative data), however, the AATSIHS is able to provide dimensions of the data (e.g. population group, related health characteristics, use or non-use of other health services) and cross-classifications (e.g. self-assessed health by alcohol risk level) which are not available from administrative sources.
Reference periods	All results should be considered within the context of the time references that apply to the various topics. Different reference periods were used for specific topics (e.g. 'in the last week' for alcohol consumption and adult physical activity, 'ever' and 'in the last 12 months' for substance use). Although various reference periods are used throughout the survey for different topics (e.g. current, usual, last week, last 2 weeks, last 4 weeks) the survey essentially provides a 'point in time' picture of the health of the population and of population sub-groups. That is, the survey provides information about the prevalence of characteristics, not the incidence of those characteristics or of changes in characteristics (except in terms of differences between surveys). The results are essentially an average over that period, that is, representative of a typical week, fortnight, etc. in that period.
	Although it can be expected that a larger section of the population would have reported taking a certain action if a longer reference period had been used, the increase is not proportionate to the increase in time. This should be taken into consideration when comparing results from this survey to data from other sources where the data relates to different reference periods.
Wording of questions	To enable accurate interpretation of survey results it is essential to bear in mind the precise wording of questions used to collect individual items of data, particularly in those cases where the question involved ‘running prompts’ (where the interviewer reads from a list until the respondent makes a choice), or where a prompt card was used. To aid comparability with other ABS data sources, where possible, questions from existing surveys were used in the 2012-13 AATSIHS. However, due to the number of topics included in this survey, it was not always possible to adopt the full question modules used in other surveys. In addition, some modules were omitted or wording modified in the remote survey questionnaire because they were not relevant or not able to be effectively administered for the AATSIHS within remote areas. Where possible, the 2012-13 AATSIHS used standard ABS 'shortened' question modules, designed to maximise comparability with the full question modules. For further information on the questions used in the surveys, refer to the survey questionnaires located on the Downloads page of this product.

Overview

The 2011-12 Australian Health Survey (AHS) and the 2012-13 Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (AATSIHS) are the largest and most comprehensive health surveys ever conducted in Australia. They combine the existing ABS National Health Survey and the National Aboriginal Torres Straight Islander Health Survey together with two new elements - a National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey and a National Health Measures Survey.

The AHS consists of:

• the National Health Survey (NHS)
• the National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NNPAS)
• the combined NHS and NNPAS sample known as the Core Australian Health Survey (AHS)

• the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS)
• the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NATSINPAS)
• combined NATSIHS and NATSINPAS sample known as the Core Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (AATSIHS).

Use of the surveys associated with the AHS and AATSIHS allows analysis of content that was collected as part of the individual surveys, many of which are common between the surveys and some which is unique to the particular survey. 'Closing the Gap' analysis can be completed by comparing non-Indigenous data from the general population to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population.

Please note surveys have different sample sizes and have been weighted separately to population benchmarks only, survey estimates of common items between the files may vary slightly.

Collection methodology of NATSIHS, NHS, NATSINPAS and NNPAS

The table below outlines the similarities and differences in the collection methodology of NATSIHS, NHS, NATSINPAS and NNPAS.

Survey characteristic
	2012-13 NATSIHS	2011-12 NHS	2012-13 NATSINPAS	2011-12 NNPAS
Collection method	Personal interview with adult respondents; proxy interview for children less than 15 years	Same	Same	Same
	Personal interview with children aged 15-17 years with parental consent; otherwise interview by proxy	Same	Same	Same
Questionnaires	Single CAI instrument, incorporating household, adult and child components; except for non-remote substance use module which has a separate CASI instrument	Single CAI instrument, incorporating household, adult and child components	Single CAI instrument, incorporating household, adult and child components; with a second CAI instrument for telephone interviewing	Same as NATSINPAS
Sample coverage	Private dwellings only	Same	Same	Same
	Urban and rural areas (including discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities)	Same, except very remote and discrete communities excluded	Same as NATSIHS	Same as NHS
	All States and Territories	Same, with additional sample in NT	Same	Same as NHS
Sample design/size	Non-remote households had up to two adults and two children aged 0-17 years per dwelling, while remote households had up to one adult and one child aged 0-17 years per dwelling	One adult and one child aged 0-17 years per dwelling	One adult and one child aged 2-17 years per dwelling	Same as NATSINPAS
	Fully responding H'holds = 5371	Fully responding H'holds = 15565	Fully responding H'holds = 2900	Fully responding H'holds = 9519
	Final sample = 3835 children	Final sample = 4951 children	Final sample = 1434 children	Final sample = 2718 children
	5482 adults, 9317 persons	15475 adults, 20426 persons	2675 adults, 4109 persons	9435 adults, 12153 persons
Enumeration period	April 2012 to February 2013	March 2011 to March 2012	July 2012 to June 2013	May 2011 to June 2012
Collection methodology	CAI questionnaire	Same	CAI questionnaire, pedometer daily activity sheet used for recording steps	Same as NATSINPAS
	Automated coding with inbuilt trigram coders, supported by manual and CAC systems for some modules	Same	Same	Same
Main output units	Person	Person	Person	Person

Using topic pages to reference appropriate source data

The AHS is a rich source of health information for both the general population and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. It is important to consider the inclusion and exclusions of each survey before choosing a source to reference. There is a large amount of content that is comparable for the 2011-12 NHS and NNPAS and the 2012-13 NATSIHS and NATSINPAS. However, there are a number of issues affecting comparability of data between the surveys. These will be outlined in topic pages within this Users' Guide.

When selecting variables for analysis, please refer to the topic pages of this Users' Guide and the AATSIHS Data Item List (located on the Downloads page) and the topic pages and Data Item List presented in the Australian Health Survey Users' Guide (cat. no. 4363.0.55.001) to understand which data items are unique, only available on a particular survey, and data items that are consistent across two or more datasets. The topic page will also note any caveats under the interpretation section of the page.

Additionally the topic page will state whether the data was collected in both NATSIHS and NATSINPAS and primarily list comparability content that was collected in both the NHS and NNPAS. In addition some data may be only comparable between:

• NATSIHS and NHS
• NATSINPAS and NNPAS
• NATSIHS and NATSINPAS
• NHS and NNPAS.

Using surveys in isolation

Results from the NATSIHS and NATSINPAS samples are available separately (NATSINPAS from the latter half of 2014) or as part of a combined sample (the Core). Use of the separate files allows analysis of content that was collected as part of the individual surveys, some of which are common between the surveys and some which is unique to the particular survey. This is consistent with the NHS and NNPAS, where some content is only in the individual surveys and others are part of a combined sample.

Common content between NATSIHS, NHS, NATSINPAS and NNPAS

Data from the Core (2012-13 AATSIHS) is based on the combined NATSIHS and NATSINPAS sample for common items. The Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Survey: Updated Results, 2012-13 (4727.0.55.006) released on the 6 June 2014 is from the Core. With a larger sample size (approximately 12 900 people), the Core provides more accurate estimates and allows for analysis at a finer level of disaggregation.

As the two surveys and the combined sample have different sample sizes and have been weighted separately to population benchmarks only, survey estimates of common items between the three files may vary slightly. For example, the estimates for current daily smoker may vary between the NATSIHS, NATSINPAS and the combined Core sample. When using data from these files, it is important to understand and reference the source of the data. This is the same for the NHS and NNPAS.

The following tables summarises the common modules between the NATSIHS and NATSINPAS surveys and the AATSIHS Core and AHS Core. Where content is common, these items are available on the combined sample file. For estimates required from the common items, it is suggested that the Core sample be used for this purpose due to the higher accuracy of the data.

Common survey modules
Topics covered	Common items available from 2012-13 NATSIHS and NATSINPAS	Main differences between NATSIHS and NATSINPAS
General demographics	Sex; age; social marital status; Indigenous status; main language spoken at home; proficiency in spoken English; family type; household size, composition, type; geographic location	No differences
Education	Highest year of school completed; main field and level of highest and current non-school qualification; highest level of educational attainment; whether currently studying full or part time; type of educational institution attending	No differences
Labour force	Labour force status; whether on CDEP; whether registered for CDEP after 30 Sept 2009; status in employment; occupation, industry and industry sector of main job; hours worked; duration of unemployment; shift work	No differences
Income	Household income gross weekly, equivalised household income	NATSIHS also collected personal income
Health conditions	Self-assessed health; Diagnosis status of: Heart and circulatory conditions, Diabetes/high sugar levels, Kidney disease	NATSIHS collected some condition specific questions as well as collecting more extensive listing of conditions
Body mass/Physical measurements	Body mass index and measured height, weight, hip and waist circumference measurements; Self-perceived weight; satisfaction with current weight	No differences
Blood pressure	Systolic, diastolic measurements, and blood pressure ranges (for 18 years and over)	No differences
Dietary behaviours	Usual daily intake of vegetables & fruit; use of salt; type of diet	NATSIHS collected type of milk usually consumed. Use of salt has different response categories between the two surveys.
Smoking	Smoker status	NATSIHS collected household smoking information, age started/stopped smoking regularly; whether quit smoking
Adult Exercise/Physical Activity (non-remote)	Type, frequency and duration of exercise/physical activity in last week; exercise level; whether met guidelines; sufficient activity measure; whether walked for transport, fitness	Some question wording (e.g. exercise versus physical activity) and question ordering differences between surveys for the physical activity component of the module. NATSINPAS collected vigorous gardening; strength and toning; type of activity. NATSIHS collected number of days exercised. Sedentary data is not comparable between surveys.
Child Physical Activity (non-remote)	Type, frequency and duration of physical activity in previous 3 days; whether met guidelines, type and duration of screen-based activity; type of active transport	NATSINPAS collected whether activities were organised or not; household rules; and data for 2-4 year olds
Physical Activity (remote)	Type and broad duration of physical activity did yesterday, type of sedentary activity did yesterday	No differences

Common survey modules
Topics covered	Common items available from 2011-12 AHS Core and 2012-13 AATSIHS Core	Main differences between 2011-12 AHS Core and 2012-13 AATSIHS Core
General demographics	Sex; age; social marital status; Indigenous status; main language spoken at home; proficiency in spoken English; family type; household size, composition, type; geographic location	No differences, although social marital status was determined differently
Education	Highest year of school completed; main field and level of highest and current non-school qualification; highest level of educational attainment; whether currently studying full or part time; type of educational institution attending	Some items listed are only available in NHS not AHS. However all are available on AATSIHS.
Labour force	Labour force status; status in employment; occupation, industry and industry sector of main job; hours worked; duration of unemployment; shift work	Items pertaining to CDEP are collected in Remote AATSIHS
Income	Household income gross weekly, equivalised household income	NATSIHS and NHS also collected personal income
Health conditions	Self-assessed health; Diagnosis status of: Heart and circulatory conditions, Diabetes/high sugar levels, Kidney disease	AATSIHS high sugar levels is classified as long-term if current. Additional question in NATSIHS for kidney disease. Full conditions are comparable between NATSIHS and NHS, with the exception of Mental Health Conditions.
Body mass/Physical measurements	Body mass index and measured height, weight and waist circumference measurements; Self-perceived weight; satisfaction with current weight	Hip measurement was also collected in AATSIHS
Blood pressure	Systolic, diastolic measurements, and blood pressure ranges (for 18 years and over)	No differences
Dietary behaviours/Food Security	Usual daily intake of vegetables & fruit; whether salt is iodised	Type of diet is collected in NNPAS and AATSIHS. Use of salt is comparable between AHS and NATSINPAS. Food security is comparable between AATSIHS and NATSINPAS. 24-hour Dietary recall is comparable between NNPAS and NATSINPAS.
Smoking	Smoker status	Household smoking and additional smoking questions were asked in NATSIHS and NHS
Adult Exercise/Physical Activity (non-remote)	Type, frequency and duration of exercise/physical activity in last week; exercise level; whether met guidelines; sufficient activity measure; whether walked for transport, fitness	Other than the common items listed in the core files the main relationship of comparability are between NHS and NATSIHS or NNPAS and NATSINPAS.
Child Physical Activity (non-remote)	Type, frequency and duration of physical activity in previous 3 days; whether met guidelines, type and duration of screen-based activity; type of active transport	Comparability between AATSIHS and NNPAS for 5-17 years. NNPAS collected 7 days of data compared to 3 days in AATSIHS. Household rules, screen-based rules, and data on 2-4 year olds are comparable between NATSINPAS and NNPAS, with just the 7 day and 3 day difference in collection of data for 2-4 year olds.

COMPARABILITY WITH PREVIOUS ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER SURVEYS

Between 2006 and 2011 the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population increased by 30%, or 153,000 people. When comparing numbers from the 2012-13 AATSIHS with previous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander surveys, users should be aware of the large increase in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population and consider the impact this may have when interpreting change over time.

Below are some summary comparisons between the 2012-13 NATSIHS and 2004-05 NATSIHS. For further information on comparability, and comparability with the 2008 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS), refer to the topic pages within this Users' Guide.

Comparability between 2012-13 NATSIHS and 2004-05 NATSIHS

Understanding the comparability of data from the 2012-13 NATSIHS with data from the previous NATSIHS cycle is important for the use of those data and interpretation of apparent changes in health characteristics over time. While the 2012-13 NATSIHS is deliberately similar in many ways to the 2004-05 NATSIHS, there are important differences in sample design and coverage, survey methodology, content, definitions and classifications between the surveys. A key difference in 2012-13, however, was the standardisation of Computer-Assisted Interviewing for all questions administered to respondents in remote and non-remote areas. These differences will affect the degree to which data are directly comparable between the surveys, and hence the interpretation of apparent changes in health characteristics over the 2004-05 to 2012-13 period.

Throughout the topic descriptions and in other parts of this publication, comments have been made about the changes between surveys and their expected impact on the comparability of data. These are general comments based on results of testing, ABS experience in survey development, and preliminary examination of data from the 2012-13 survey. They should not, therefore, be regarded as definitive statements on comparability, and they may omit the types of findings which might result from a detailed analysis of the effects of all changes made.

The following table summarises key differences in the general survey characteristics of the 2004-05 to 2012-13 surveys:

Survey characteristic
	2012-13 NATSIHS	2004-05 NATSIHS
Collection method	Personal interview with adult respondents; proxy interview for children less than 15 years	Same
	Personal interview with children aged 15-17 years with parental consent; otherwise interview by proxy	Same
Questionnaires	Single CAI instrument, incorporating household, adult and child components; except for non-remote substance use module which has a separate CASI instrument	Single CAI instrument, incorporating household, adult and child components; except for community areas which pen and paper interviewing (PAPI) was still employed and non-community substance use module and women's health module which also used PAPI
Sample coverage	Private dwellings only	Same
	Urban and rural areas	Same
	All States and Territories	Same
Sample design/size	Non-remote had up to two children aged 0-17 years, two adult per dwelling	Non-remote had up to one child aged 0-17 years, one adult per dwelling
	Remote had up to one children aged 0-17 years, one adult per dwelling	Same
	Fully responding H'holds = 5371	Fully responding H'holds = 5234
	Final sample = 3835 children	Final sample = 4682 children
	5482 adults, 9317 persons	5757 adults, 10439 persons
Enumeration period	April 2012 to February 2013	August 2004 to July 2005
Collection methodology	CAI questionnaire	CAI questionnaire in non-community/PAPI questionnaire in community
	Automated coding with inbuilt trigram coders, supported by manual and computer assisted coding systems for some modules	Automated coding, supported by manual and computer assisted coding systems
Main output units	Person	Person

• frame exclusion, where areas with a small number of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander persons are not approached for enumeration
• non-response, where people cannot or will not cooperate, or cannot be contacted
• non-identification, where Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people do not self-identify or are not identified by the household spokesperson
• issues arising in the field, such as occupational health and safety issues.

	2012-13 NATSIHS(a)		2004-05 NATSIHS(b)
	% of adults in sample	% of adults in population	% of adults in sample	% of adults in population
Males	41.7	48.9	42.7	46.6
Females	58.3	51.1	57.3	53.4
18-24	16.9	23.1	17.7	22.0
25-34	22.7	23.7	25.2	27.0
35-44	22.8	21.3	25.7	22.9
45-54	18.5	16.4	16.3	15.3
55 and over	19.1	15.5	15.1	12.8
Persons	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0

• Some modules contain additional questions and/or have had questions removed. General details on this is available at the end of each topic page of this Users' Guide.
• The 2012-13 remote interviews were completed by CAI, while in 2004-05 remote areas were enumerated by pen and paper instruments (PAPI).
• The 2012-13 survey made use of trigram coders where a question contained a list of possible answers plus an 'other' category. Where the interviewer could not find a response in the trigram they were then sequenced to a text field for later coding. In the 2004-05 survey, the 'other' category took the interviewers directly to a text field and these text responses were then later coded in the office.
• In 2012-13, specific Disability, Male contraception, and Blood Pressure modules were included in the survey for the first time. Therefore, these data are not directly comparable to 2004-05 given the change in collection methodology.
• In 2012-13, substance use was asked to both non-remote and remote areas, while in 2004-05 only non-remote respondents received the substance use questions.
• The reported prevalence of illness is complex and dynamic, and is a function of respondent knowledge and attitudes, which in turn may be affected by the availability of health services and health information, public education and awareness, accessibility to self-help, etc. For example, a public education program has been running in Australia over a number of years aimed to raise public awareness and public acceptance of mental health disorders. Consequently, respondents may be more willing to talk about or report feelings of anxiety or depression than in previous years.

SURVEY CONTENT HEALTH CONDITIONS
Topics covered	2004-05 NATSIHS	2012-13 NATSIHS	Main items available from 2012-13	Comments on main differences between 2004-05 and 2012-13
Arthritis	X	X	Type of arthritis; age first told arthritis; whether take medication	Similar content in 2012-13 to 2004-05. 2012-13 survey did not ask for specific medication and actions for Arthritis
Asthma	X	X	Whether woken by asthma; whether asthma worse or out of control; whether attended hospital; whether has written asthma action plan; whether take medication	Similar content in 2012-13 to 2004-05. 2012-13 survey did not ask for specific medication and actions for Asthma
Cancer	X	X	Cancer status; type of cancer; age first diagnosed with breast cancer; tests for cancer ever had	Similar content in 2012-13 to 2004-05
Cardiovascular conditions	X	X	Types of condition; blood pressure taken and by whom; cholesterol/blood pressure checks in last 12 months and 5 years; whether aspirin taken; whether take medication	Similar content in 2012-13 to 2004-05. 2012-13 survey did not ask for specific medication
Diabetes/high sugar levels	X	X	Types of diabetes; type of other actions taken to manage condition; whether screened for diabetes in the last 3 years; age first told; whether takes insulin; age first had insulin; whether take medications	Similar content in 2012-13 to 2004-05. 2012-13 survey did not ask for number of medications and interference in usual activities. New item: whether screened for diabetes. Note differences in High Sugar Levels in 2012-13 as well as approach taken in remote 2004-05.
Disability		X	Disability status; type of disability; main type of disability.	Not collected in 2004-05
Kidney disease	X	X	Kidney disease status; use of dialysis; tested for kidney disease in last 3 years	Same content in 2012-13 as 2004-05. New items: tested for kidney disease
Mental well-being	X	X	Psychological distress (K5); visits to health professionals	Similar content in 2011-12 as 2004-05. New item: visits to health professionals
Osteoporosis	X	X	Whether have osteoporosis or osteopenia; age first told; whether take medication; bone density checked	Similar content in 2012-13 to 2004-05. 2012-13 survey did not ask for specific medication and actions for Osteoporosis/Osteopenia
Self assessed health	X	X	Self-assessed health	Same content in 2012-13 as 2004-05
Sight and hearing	X	X	Type of sight problem; type of sight problem requiring glasses; type of diabetes-related sight problems; time since last visited optometrist/eye specialist; whether has long-term ear/hearing problem	Same content in 2012-13 as 2004-05

SURVEY CONTENT HEALTH RISK BEHAVIOURS
Topics covered	2004-05 NATSIHS	2012-13 NATSIHS	Main items available from 2012-13	Comments on main differences between 2004-05 and 2012-13
Alcohol consumption	X	X	Period since last drank; binge consumption in last 2 weeks; days consumed alcohol in last week; quantity of alcohol by type of drink consumed in last week (max 3 days); alcohol risk level; graduated frequency; how consumption changed since this time last year	Similar content in 2012-13 as 2004-05. 2012-13 survey asked for binge data for highest consumption day in the last 2 weeks
Blood pressure		X	Systolic blood pressure; Diastolic blood pressure	Not collected in 2004-05
Body mass	X	X	Body mass index and measured height, weight, waist and hip circumference measurements	Similar content in 2012-13 as 2004-05. 2012-13 survey did not have self-reported measurements or hip measurements
Dietary habits	X	X	Type of milk usually consumed; usual daily intake of vegetables & fruit; use of salt and whether it is iodised	Similar content to 2012-13 as 2004-05, with new questions for salt use
Physical activity	X	X	Type, frequency and duration of exercise in last week; exercise level; whether walked for transport; number of times walked, did moderate/vigorous exercises and total duration for each; time spent sitting at work and home on a usual work/week day	Similar content in 2012-13 as 2004-05, except respondents are only asked about exercise in the last week rather than also in the last 2 weeks.
Smoking	X	X	Smoker status; number of smokers in household, age started/stopped smoking regularly	Similar content in 2012-13 as 2004-05. 2012-13 survey included chewing tobacco
Substance use	X (non-remote only)	X	Ever used substances; Used substances in last 12 months	Similar content in 2012-13 as 2004-05. Change from paper form to CASI interview for non-remote.
Family stressors	X	X	Family stressors in the last 12 months	Similar content in 2012-13 as 2004-05. 2012-13 survey gave more stressors to choose from
Contraception	X (females only)	X	Whether ever used contraceptive pill (females); type of contraception currently used (females); whether ever used condom (males); whether currently use condoms (males)	Similar content in 2012-13 as 2004-05. New item: whether ever used and currently use condoms (males)