Health interview surveys in developing countries: a review of the methods and results

Health interview surveys are carried out to gain knowledge of people's perceived morbidity, their use of different kinds of health services, and their perceived need for health care. Many of such studies in less developed countries (LDCs) have failed to consider the methodological improvements which have been developed in health care research in recent years. In the first part of this paper the research on methodological issues is summarized and the inherent problems in health interview surveys are stressed. Some specific requirements for cross-cultural research are described. The second part deals with health interview surveys carried out on a national, provincial and local level in LDCs. Recommendations for a standardization of the methodology are given.