The Health and Lifestyles Survey (HLS) is a biennial monitor of the health behaviour and attitudes of New Zealand adults aged 15 years and over, and parents and caregivers of 5 to16-year-olds, first carried out in 2008. The HLS is managed by the Health Promotion Agency (HPA) and collects information relating to HPA’s programme areas of alcohol, tobacco control, sun safety, minimising gambling harm, nutrition and physical activity, mental health and immunisation. The 2014 HLS involved face-to-face interviews with 2,594 adults (aged 15 years and over). Some of these adults were also included in interviews of 742 parents and caregivers of 5 to16-year-olds. This methodology report details the procedures and protocols followed to ensure the HLS produces high quality, robust data.
Purpose
The objectives of the HLS are to:
- measure progress against HPA’s existing programme plans
- provide quality measures for Statement of Intent reporting requirements
- monitor short, medium and long-term societal changes in attitudes, knowledge and behaviours, and track changes in views about the social desirability and acceptability of various measures of tobacco control, minimising gambling harm, nutrition and physical activity, alcohol, sun safety, immunisation and mental health.