European Health Interview Survey (EHIS) 2 - Background and study methodology

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Services Research
• European Health Policy

Background:

• Effective health policy and planning in the European Union (EU) necessitate robust population health data.
• The European Health Interview Survey (EHIS) is a key initiative for collecting this data across all EU Member States.
• EHIS gathers information on health status, healthcare access, health determinants, and socioeconomic factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the methodology and scope of the second wave of the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS 2).
• To highlight the importance of harmonized, comparable health data for EU health policy and reporting.
• To underscore the efforts made by Member States to ensure data quality and representativeness.

Main Methods:

• Nationally representative population samples (≥15 years, private households) were drawn using various statistical or administrative sources.
• Data collection employed nationally established methods, including mixed-mode surveys, conducted between 2013 and 2015.
• Significant efforts were made by Member States to maximize response rates over an average eight-month data collection period.

Main Results:

• EHIS 2 successfully collected harmonized data on population health across EU Member States.
• The data are highly comparable, providing a valuable resource for health analysis.
• Nationally representative samples were achieved through rigorous sampling strategies.

Conclusions:

• The harmonized EHIS data are crucial for evidence-based health policy and reporting within the EU.
• EHIS provides a consistent and reliable information base for understanding population health trends.
• Continued data collection through EHIS supports ongoing monitoring and improvement of European health systems.