The Healthy Ireland Survey is an annual interviewer administered face-to-face survey conducted on behalf of the Department of Health by Ipsos MRBI. The first wave with 7,539 participants was carried out in 2014/2015. Its purpose is to provide current and credible data about the wide variety of factors which determine health and wellbeing in the population aged 15 years and older. The topics covered include general health, health service utilisation and key lifestyle factors, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, diet, sexual health and wellbeing to monitor the key trends and policy impacts in those areas. It also offers flexibility for the substitution of further modules to meet particular policy needs, including cross-sectoral /health determinant ‘health in all policies’ issues. A questionnaire was developed using validated questions where possible. This was done to ensure comparability with other surveys and to facilitate our international reporting to the EU, the OECD and the World Health Organization. In addition to completing the survey questionnaire individuals interviewed on this wave of the survey were asked to undertake a physical measurement module. Within this module interviewers measured and recorded the respondent’s height, weight and waist circumference. A total of 6,142 respondents (81%) participated in this module. After completing the survey questionnaire, respondents aged 17 and over were asked to complete a self-completion questionnaire on issues relating to sexual health. A total of 6,529 respondents (87% of those aged 17 and over) completed at least part of this questionnaire. Approval to conduct the study was provided by the Research Ethics Committee at the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland.
Probability: Stratified This study used the An Post/Ordnance Survey Ireland GeoDirectory, as the primary sampling frame. GeoDirectory is a complete database of every building in the Republic of Ireland. Each of the 2.2 million addresses contained in GeoDirectory includes an accurate standardised postal address, usage details for each building (commercial or residential), a unique 8-digit identity number and geo-coordinates which accurately locate the centre point of each building to within one metre. A two-stage equal-probability sample of addresses was drawn, with the aim of attempting to interview a randomly selected individual at each selected address. The sample was issued in Electoral Division clusters each comprising 20 addresses. With 10.5% of addresses anticipated to be ineligible and a target 60% response rate this would deliver an average of 10.74 addresses per cluster. All Electoral Divisions containing fewer than 500 addresses were combined with adjacent sectors before the first stage of sampling (i.e. before clusters are selected). This ensured that each cluster covered a sufficiently large geographic area. The sample was stratified by region and within this by urban/rural and proportion of owner occupiers. A total of 686 clusters were selected with probability proportional to address count. Twenty addresses were then selected systematically (random start and fixed interval skip) from the list of addresses in each PSU, thereby ensuring a spread of addresses across the cluster. In the cases where an address generated more than one household, one was selected by the interviewer in the field using a random selection method. In each selected household, individuals aged 15+ were listed and the interviewer selected one eligible individual through a randomised approach (e.g. KISH Grid). This is the only individual within that household that could be interviewed, and the interviewer could not seek a replacement if that individual was unwilling to participate.
Face-to-face interview: CAPI/CAMI
