The Health Survey for England (HSE) series is designed to monitor trends in the nation's health. The study provides regular information that cannot be obtained from other sources on a range of aspects concerning the public's health and many of the factors that affect health. The aims of the series are: to provide annual data about the nation's health; to estimate the proportion of people in England with specified health conditions; to estimate the prevalence of certain risk factors associated with these conditions; to examine differences between population subgroups in their likelihood of having specific conditions or risk factors; to assess the frequency with which particular combinations of risk factors are found, and which groups these combinations most commonly occur; to monitor progress towards selected health targets and since 1995, to measure the height of children at different ages, replacing the National Study of Health and Growth, and to monitor the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children.
The HSE provides data at both national and regional level and was designed to be representative of the population living in private households in England. The survey focuses on different health issues each year, although a number of core questions are included every year. Topics are revisited at appropriate intervals in order to monitor change: in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2003, 2006 and 2011, the survey focused on cardiovascular disease and associated risk factors; in 1995 and 1996, the major focus of the survey was atopic disease (including asthma and eczema), accidents and disability; in 1997 the survey report focused on the health of young people aged 2-24 years, and combined data (in report format only) from the 1995-1997 surveys; in 1999 and again in 2004, the focus was on the health of minority ethnic groups. The boost sample was designed solely to yield additional interviews with members of the most populous minority ethnic groups: Black Caribbean, Black African (covered in 2004 only), Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Chinese and Irish; in 2000 and 2005, the survey focused on the health of older people; the HSE 2000 included a sample of care home residents, whereas HSE 2005 included a boost sample of people aged 65 and over resident in private households; the 2001 survey included for the first time questions on fruit and vegetable consumption; the 2002 survey focused on children, young people and maternal health, and included a boost sample of young people aged 0 to 24 years and mothers of infants aged under one year; the 2007 survey focused on knowledge and attitudes towards key aspects of lifestyle, and monitoring any impact from the 2007 smokefree legislation; the 2008 and 2012 surveys focused on physical activity and fitness; the 2009 survey focused on long-term health conditions and self-assessed general health. In addition it looked at the effectiveness and use of personal care plans; the 2010 survey focused on respiratory disease and lung function, with additional questions on contraception and sexual health, well-being, kidney disease and dental health; the 2013 survey focused on social care.
Further information about the series may be found on the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) HSE webpages, the NatCen Social Research HSE webpages and the University College London Health and Social Surveys Research Group HSE webpages.
The main focus of the HSE in 2012 was physical activity. The survey also provided updates on core topics and measurements. Additional modules of questions were also included covering gambling, sexual health, average weekly alcohol consumption and well-being (the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale).
NOTE: There are several variables related to gambling activities and problem gambling within the dataset (see Page 22 of the List of Variable and Derived Variables).
