National Health Survey 2004

12 May 2004

The Ministry of Health will be conducting an island-wide National Health Survey from September to November 2004 to measure the health status of Singaporeans in relation to the major health problems in Singapore e.g. diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure and coronary heart disease. During the survey, the prevalence of these diseases and their risk factors such as blood cholesterol, smoking, physical inactivity, obesity and alcohol intake will be determined. The Survey will also include a nutrition study to determine the dietary practices and nutrient intake of Singaporeans. The results of the Survey will be used by the Ministry of Health to evaluate the effectiveness of the government's national disease control plans, and to chart the progress towards achieving its long-term health targets. This is the third National Health Survey to be carried by the Ministry of Health, the first and second of which were conducted in 1992 and 1998 respectively.

Twelve thousand household units have been randomly selected to identify the participants for the 2004 National Health Survey. Each of these households will receive a letter from the Ministry by 21 May 2004. Thereafter from 24 May to 14 July, interviewers from the Research Pacific Group, the research company engaged by the Ministry, will visit the selected households to collect basic information on the household members. From the information collected, there will be a further random selection of participants to undergo the actual survey from September to November 2004. The selected participants will be Singaporeans or permanent residents aged between 18 and 74 years.

All interviewers from the research company engaged by the Ministry will be wearing an identification tag bearing their name, photograph and the company's official stamp. They will also carry a letter of authorisation from the Ministry.

The public is assured of strict confidentiality of all information obtained during the enumeration exercise. The Ministry of Health hopes that all selected household units will give their full support and cooperation for the Survey.

For more information and any further enquiries on the National Health Survey 2004, please kindly call the Ministry hotline at 1800-2254122.