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Health Survey for England 1996

  • Last modified date:
    8 February 2007
  • Series number:
    Series HS no.6

The 1996 Health Survey for England is the sixth in a series of annual surveys commissioned by the Department of Health. The first four surveys covered the adult population aged 16 and over living in private households in England. From 1995, the surveys have also covered children living in households selected for the survey. The surveys are carried out by The Joint Health Surveys Unit of Social and Community Planning Research (SCPR) and the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London.

The Health Survey series was designed to achieve the following aims:

  • to provide annual data about the nation's health
  • to estimate the proportion with specified health conditions
  • to estimate the prevalence of risk factors associated with these conditions
  • to examine differences between population subgroups
  • to assess the frequency with which combinations of risk factors occur
  • to monitor progress towards two Health of the Nation targets relating to blood pressure and obesity
  • since 1995, to measure the height of children at different ages, replacing the National Study of Health and Growth.

Each survey in the series consists of core questions and measurements plus 'non-core' modules of questions on specific issues that change periodically. In all surveys to date, an interviewer's visit (which includes height and weight measurements) has been followed by a visit by a nurse, who has taken blood samples in which various analytes are subsequently assayed (the analytes varying from survey to survey). Nurses have also taken blood pressure and carried out other tests.

The core topics include obesity, blood pressure, smoking, alcohol consumption and general health (including use of services and use of medication). The principal non-core topic in the first four surveys (1991 to 1994) had been cardiovascular disease, which was not covered in 1995 or 1996. Three new topics were introduced in 1995, namely respiratory and other atopic conditions (asthma and asthma-related symptoms, hay fever and eczema), accidents and disability. Lung function tests were also introduced. All of these new topics (except disability) were also included in the 1996 survey. The 1995 and 1996 data sets can thus be combined for the purpose of analysing respiratory conditions, atopic conditions, lung function and accidents, and this has been done in the present report.

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