National Population Health Survey, 1996-97 [Canada]: General File

The National Population Health Survey (NPHS) 1996 uses the Labour Force Survey sampling frame to draw a sample of approximately 20,000 households. The sample is distributed over four quarterly collection periods. In each household, some limited information is collected from all household members and one person in each household is randomly selected for a more in-depth interview. The questionnaire includes content related to health status, use of health services determinants of health and a range of demographic and economic information. For example, the health status information includes self-perception of health, a health status index, chronic conditions, and activity restrictions. The use of health services is probed through visits to health care providers, both traditional and non-traditional, and the use of drugs and other medications. Health determinants include smoking, alcohol use, physical activity and a special focus in the second cycle of the survey was access to services with questions on preventative tests and examinations probing for frequency, reasons for use or non-use and barriers encountered. The demographic and economic information includes age, sex, education, ethnicity, household income and labour force status. The NPHS data for 96 are stored in two different data sets. Some information was collected from all household members. This information is stored in the General file. From each household, one person, aged 12 years and over, was selected to answer a more in-depth questionnaire related to health. These data are stored on the Health file. Each record on the General file corresponds to a household member. The General file carries the socio-demographic variables as well as health utilisation variables. There are 210,377 records and 173 variables in the General file. The Health file contains 81,804 records and 944 variables Data between the files can be linked using the variable recno. <br> Note: This data is also linked to the National Longitudinal Survey of Children. <br> The target population of the NPHS includes household residents in all provinces, with the principal exclusion of populations on Indian Reserves, Canadian Forces Bases and some remote areas in Quebec and Ontario. The longitudinal sample for 1996-1997 consists of all longitudinal respondents chosen in cycle 1 who had completed at least the general component of the questionnaire in 1994-95. This included 2,022 persons who were under the age of 12 in cycle 1 (previously interviewed as part of the 1994-95 National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY) who were included in the NPHS sample for 1996-1997). <br> The 1996-97 NPHS was collected mainly by telephone whereas the previous cycle was collected primarily by personal interview. Three factors shaped the design of the household component sample: the targeted national and provincial/territorial sample sizes; the decision to select one member per household to make up the longitudinal panel; the choice of the redesigned LFS as a vehicle for selecting the sample.The NPHS was budgeted for a sample size of 19,600 households. It was further agreed among national and provincial representatives that each province needed a minimum of 1,200 households. Collection for the core sample was divided into four quarters (June, August and November 1996, and February 1997). The interviewers are part-time employees hired and trained specially to carry out surveys using the computer-assisted interviewing method. An additional collection was held in June 1997 with further tracing attempts of non-respondents from previous quarters.