Health & Disability Intelligence

New Zealand Health Survey 2006/07

Information for survey participants

What is the New Zealand Health Survey?
It is a survey that involves a sample of New Zealand's population. By using statistical methods, a sample is selected and surveyed. Estimates for the whole population can be made from the results. For example, a national population survey gives us national prevalence information for conditions such as obesity and diabetes. The National Research Bureau (NRB) has been contracted by the Ministry of Health to do the survey interviews.

The survey collects information about:

What health services people use and how often they use health services;
Whether people have health risk factors, such as obesity or smoking;
How many New Zealanders have been diagnosed with diabetes, asthma, heart disease and other chronic conditions;
How healthy different groups of New Zealanders are across a range of topics.

How many people are participating in the survey?
More than 12,000 New Zealanders from all ethnic groups will take part in the survey, including about 3000 Maori adults and 1100 Maori children, about 1000 Pacific adults and 400 Pacific children and approximately 1300 Asian adults and 500 Asian children.

What's new in the 2006/07 Health Survey?
Previous Health Surveys were in 1992/93, 1996/97 and 2002/03. The 2006/07 NZ Health Survey is the first to collect detailed data on child health issues through a separate questionnaire which covers:

Health and development (general physical and mental health, chronic conditions, behaviour, discipline);
Health service utilisation (primary health care, GPs, nurses, medical specialists, oral health care and other health care use, prescriptions, health advice over the phone, hospital use);
Risk and protective factors (breastfeeding, nutrition, activity, physical measurements, early childhood care, passive smoking).

The adult questionnaire includes the same questions as earlier NZ Health Surveys so changes can be seen over time, however some sections have been added or altered for the 2006/07 survey to account for changes in policy or to monitor emerging issues such as

An oral health section to monitor use of services, the level of unmet need for oral health services and regularity of care;
An improved section on mental health to monitor diagnosed mental health conditions and levels of non-specific psychological distress in the population;
An improved primary health care section to monitor accessibility, comprehensiveness of care, continuity and coordination of care, cultural sensitivity and quality of care.

How are survey respondents chosen?
NRB chooses addresses at random from selected geographical areas throughout New Zealand. One person from each selected household aged 15 or over and a child from that household will be invited to participate. An NRB interviewer makes contact to arrange a suitable interview time. The adult survey takes about one hour to complete. The child survey (answered by the parent or primary caregiver) takes about 30 minutes. Interviewing takes place at a time and date to suit the participants, and they can stop the interview at any time if needed.

Do children answer the questionnaire themselves?
No, questions are answered by the primary caregiver of a person aged under 15 years. The NZ Health Survey questions have been designed for use with adults.

Is the survey compulsory?
No, but the information forms part of the government’s Official Social Statistics Programme and is used to help make important decisions about the health system, programmes and services.

Who has approved this survey?
The Multi-Regional Ethics Committee approved the 2006/07 New Zealand Health Survey, which means that it meets ethical standards for respect for individuals, informed consent, privacy and confidentiality, minimisation of harm, cultural and social responsibility.

How will people know if the person at their door is a genuine interviewer?
NRB interviewers wear a badge with photo identification, and have a reference telephone number to establish they are a genuine interviewer.

Are interpreters and translations available?
The New Zealand Health Survey information brochure is available in English, Maori, Samoan, Chinese, Tongan, Hindi, Punjabi, Cook Island Maori, Fijian, Niuean and Korean. Interpreters are arranged for interviews as needed. Participants are given the opportunity to request an interviewer of the same ethnicity or gender as themselves.

What will the information be used for?
The Ministry of Health needs information from people who have good health as well as those with health problems. This is to provide a reliable picture of the health, and health needs of all New Zealanders. The information from the survey will be used by the Ministry of Health to monitor how well health goals are being met and to design programmes and services which better meet needs, particularly for groups with many health problems.

How is the privacy of participants protected?
The information provided to interviewers is confidential and protected by the Privacy Act 1993. All interviewers sign a confidentiality agreement before survey work begins, stating that they are prohibited by law from disclosing any information to anyone except authorised staff. Names and contact details of participants are kept separate from the questionnaire data. No one is able to tell that a particular person has participated in the survey, and any identifying information is not recorded on datasets and will not be reported in the results publications. No personal details of participants are given to other government departments or researchers.

Doesn’t the Ministry of Health already have a lot of health data?
The Ministry of Health already has data about hospitalisations, cancer registrations and other instances when people interact with the health system, however this information does not tell us about people who are not using health services or reveal many of the lifestyle factors that influence health, such as smoking, physical activity levels, living standards etc. The New Zealand Health Survey allows the Ministry of Health to monitor the health of all New Zealanders.

How much does the survey cost?
It is estimated that the NZ Health Survey will cost about $4 million to complete.

Why does the NZ Health Survey ask questions about gambling?
The Ministry of Health is responsible for monitoring the prevalence and incidence of problem gambling ie, patterns of gambling behaviour that compromise, disrupt or damage health, personal, family or vocational pursuits. For more information see the Problem Gambling Strategy and the Gambling Act 2003.

Why does the NZ Health Survey ask questions about standard of living and hardship?
The Ministry of Health is committed to reducing inequalities in health. Inequalities in health are not random: people from lower socio-economic groups have poorer health, greater exposure to risk factors, and poorer access to health services. In particular, people from low socio-economic groups have consistently poorer health outcomes in comparison with the rest of the population. In order to monitor the Ministry’s success in reducing inequalities in health, specific questions designed to measure socio-economic position are included in the NZ Health Survey. The 2006/07 NZ Health Survey includes the 25-item Economic Living Standards Index (ELSI-SF) developed by the Ministry of Social Development, and the 8-item New Zealand Index of Socioeconomic Deprivation for Individuals (NZiDep) developed by the Wellington School of Medicine.

Why does the NZ Health Survey ask for personal and household income?
Income is a key measure of socioeconomic position. People on low incomes may find it more difficult to access health care services and may experience poorer health outcomes.

Why does the NZ Health Survey ask for date of birth?
Date of birth is used to calculate exact age at the time of interview. Age is a fundamental biological determinant of health.

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