The health benefits of a targeted cash transfer: The UK Winter Fuel Payment.

Each year, the UK records 25,000 or more excess winter deaths, primarily among the elderly. A key policy response is the "Winter Fuel Payment" (WFP), a labelled but unconditional cash transfer to households with a member above the female state pension age. The WFP has been shown to raise fuel spending among eligible households. We examine the causal effect of the WFP on health outcomes, including self-reports of chest infection, measured hypertension, and biomarkers of infection and inflammation. We find a robust, 6 percentage point reduction in the incidence of high levels of serum fibrinogen. Reductions in other disease markers point to health benefits, but the estimated effects are less robust

Is brief advice in primary care a cost-effective way to promote physical activity?

This article is made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund. This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 3.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial.Aim: This study models the cost-effectiveness of brief advice (BA) in primary care for physical activity (PA) addressing the limitations in the current limited economic literature through the use of a time-based modelling approach. Methods: A Markov model was used to compare the lifetime costs and outcomes of a cohort of 100 000 people exposed to BA versus usual care. Health outcomes were expressed in terms of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Costs were assessed from a health provider perspective (£2010/11 prices). Data to populate the model were derived from systematic literature reviews and the literature searches of economic evaluations that were conducted for national guidelines. Deterministic and probability sensitivity analyses explored the uncertainty in parameter estimates including short-term mental health gains associated with PA. Results: Compared with usual care, BA is more expensive, incurring additional costs of £806 809 but it is more effective leading to 466 QALYs gained in the total cohort, a QALY gain of 0.0047/person. The incremental cost per QALY of BA is £1730 (including mental health gains) and thus can be considered cost-effective at a threshold of £20 000/QALY. Most changes in assumptions resulted in the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) falling at or below £12 000/QALY gained. However, when short-term mental health gains were excluded the ICER was £27 000/QALY gained. The probabilistic sensitivity analysis showed that, at a threshold of £20 000/QALY, there was a 99.9% chance that BA would be cost-effective. Conclusions: BA is a cost-effective way to improve PA among adults, provided short-term mental health gains are considered. Further research is required to provide more accurate evidence on factors contributing to the cost-effectiveness of BA.NICE Centre for Public Health Excellenc

View-dependent accuracy in body mass judgements of female bodies

A fundamental issue in testing body image perception is how to present the test stimuli. Previous studies have almost exclusively used images of bodies viewed in front-view, but this potentially obscures key visual cues used to judge adiposity reducing the ability to make accurate judgements. A potential solution is to use a three-quarter view, which combines visual cues to body fat that can be observed in front and profile. To test this hypothesis, 20 female observers completed a 2-alternative forced choice paradigm to determine the smallest difference in body fat detectable in female bodies in front, three-quarter, and profile view. There was a significant advantage for three-quarter and profile relative to front-view. Discrimination accuracy is predicted by the saliency of stomach depth, suggesting that this is a key visual cue used to judge body mass. In future, bodies should ideally be presented in three-quarter to accurately assess body size discrimination

Health Survey for England, 2017

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The Health Survey for England (HSE)&nbsp;is a series of surveys designed to monitor trends in the nation's health.&nbsp; It was commissioned by NHS Digital and carried out by the Joint Health Surveys Unit of the National Centre for Social Research and the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London.The aims of the HSE series are:to provide annual data about the nation’s health;to estimate the proportion of people in England with specified health conditions;to estimate the prevalence of certain risk factors associated with these conditions;to examine differences between population subgroups in their likelihood of having specific conditions or risk factors;to assess the frequency with which particular combinations of risk factors are found, and which groups these combinations most commonly occur;to monitor progress towards selected health targetssince 1995, to measure the height of children at different ages, replacing the National Study of Health and Growth;since 1995, monitor the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children.The survey includes a number of core questions every year but also focuses on different health issues at each wave. Topics are revisited at appropriate intervals in order to monitor change. Further information about the series may be found on the NHS Digital Health Survey for England; health, social care and lifestyles webpage, the NatCen Social Research NatCen Health Survey for England webpage and the University College London Health and Social Surveys Research Group&nbsp;UCL Health Survey for England&nbsp;webpage. Changes to the HSE from 2015:Users should note that from 2015 survey onwards, only the individual data file is available under standard End User Licence (EUL). The household data file is now only included in the Special Licence (SL) version, released from 2015 onwards. In addition, the SL individual file contains all the variables included in the HSE EUL dataset, plus others, including variables removed from the EUL version after the NHS Digital disclosure review. The SL HSE is subject to more restrictive access conditions than the EUL version (see Access information). Users are advised to obtain the EUL version to see if it meets their needs before considering an application for the SL version.The Health Survey for England, 2017: Special Licence Access is available from the UK Data Archive under SN 9084.Latest edition information:For the third edition (May 2023), a number of corrections were made to the data file and the data documentation file. Further information is available in the documentation file '8488_hse_2017_eul_v3_corrections_to_ukds.pdf’.Main Topics:The data covers the following:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Core topics:&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;General health&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Longstanding illness&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Average weekly alcohol consumption&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Smoking&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Drinking (heaviest day in last week)&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fruit and vegetable consumption&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Consent to data linkage (NHS central register, HES)&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Socio-economic information: sex, age, income, education, employment etc&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Prescribed medications (nurse)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Additional topics:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Physical activity (adults)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Social care receipt and provision&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Cardiovascular Diseases&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chronic Pain&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;End of Life Care&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Measurements:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Height and weight&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Blood pressure (nurse)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Waist and hip circumference (nurse)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Blood sample for cholesterol, glycated haemoglobin (nurse)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Saliva sample (nurse)</ul

Ethnic Minority Psychiatric Illness Rates in the Community, 2000

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The overall aim of the Ethnic Minority Psychiatric Illness Rates in the Community (EMPIRIC) survey was to estimate the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity, as measured by standard screening instruments, among minority ethnic populations resident in England, and to compare prevalence rates between groups. Also, the survey aimed to examine use of related services and to examine key factors that may be associated with mental disorder, and ethnic differences in the risk of its contraction. The sample for the survey was drawn from Black Caribbean, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Irish respondents to the Health Survey for England (HSE) of 1999 (held at the UK Data Archive under SN 4365), which had focused on minority ethnic groups. White adults selected from respondents to the HSE of 1998 (held under SN 4150) were also included in the sample. In addition to the quantitative survey, which included 4281 respondents, the EMPIRIC study also included a qualitative element. Interviews were achieved with 117 informants, purposively selected from quantitative survey respondents from within each ethnic group, according to CIS-R score. The intention was to investigate the cross-cultural validity of the standard screening instruments, which were designed and validated in a Western context. By encouraging informants to use their own words, the qualitative study explored the terms and definitions that they used to describe mental health. Users should note that only the data from the quantitative survey are currently held at the Archive. Main Topics:For the most part, the questions were taken from existing instruments, as outlined below: Use of health services and the Short Explanatory Model Interview (Lloyd et al, 1998). Explanatory models (EMs) denote the 'notions about an episode of sickness and its treatment that are employed by all those engaged in the clinical process'. They contribute to the research of respondents' own perspectives of illness and elicit local cultural perspectives of the sickness episode; Close persons questionnaire - to measure social support - taken from Whitehall II Study of British Civil Servants; Social networks - questions derived from the Alameda County Study; Questions on carers - taken from the General Household Survey (see GN 33090); Control at home and work - taken from Whitehall II Study of British Civil Servants; Chronic strains - questions on problems with relatives, with financial problems over providing necessities and payment of bills, housing problems, and difficulties in the local neighbourhood - taken from the Whitehall II Study of British Civil Servants; Discrimination/harassment - taken from the Fourth National Survey of Ethnic Minorities (see SN 3685); Short Form 12 (SF12) Physical and Mental Health Summary Scales; Clinical Interview Schedule - Revised (CIS-R); Psychosis Screening Questionnaire (PSQ) - used to assess psychotic symptoms; Social Functioning questionnaire (SFQ); Language and ethnic identity - adapted from the Fourth National Survey of Ethnic Minorities (see SN 3685). Full references for each of these sources are listed in the study documentation.<br

Health Survey for England, 2005

<p>Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.</p>The <I>Health Survey for England</I> is a series of surveys designed to monitor trends in the nation's health. It is commissioned by the Information Centre and carried out by the Joint Health Surveys Unit of the National Centre for Social Research and the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London.<ul><li>The aims of the HSE series are: <li>to provide annual data about the nation's health;</li><li>to estimate the proportion of people in England with specified health conditions;</li><li>to estimate the prevalence of certain risk factors associated with these conditions;</li><li>to examine differences between population subgroups in their likelihood of having specific conditions or risk factors;</li><li>to assess the frequency with which particular combinations of risk factors are found, and which groups these combinations most commonly occur;</li><li>to monitor progress towards selected health targets;</li><li>since 1995, to measure the height of children at different ages, replacing the National Study of Health and Growth, and to monitor the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children.</li></ul>The survey includes a number of core questions every year but also focuses on different health issues at each wave. Topics are revisited at appropriate intervals in order to monitor change.<br> <br> Further information about the series may be found on the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) <a href="http://www.hscic.gov.uk/article/3741/Health-Survey-for-England-Health-social-care-and-lifestyles" title="Health Survey for England; health, social care and lifestyles">Health Survey for England; health, social care and lifestyles</a> webpage, the NatCen Social Research <a href="http://www.natcen.ac.uk/our-research/research/health-survey-for-england/" title="NatCen Health Survey for England">NatCen Health Survey for England</a> webpage and the University College London Health and Social Surveys Research Group <a href="http://www.ucl.ac.uk/hssrg/studies/hse" title="UCL Health Survey for England">UCL Health Survey for England</a> webpage.<br> <br>The HSE 2005 was designed to provide data at both national and regional level about the population living in private households in England. The sample comprised three components: the core (general population) sample; a boost sample of people aged 65 years and over (those living in institutions were not included); and a boost sample of children aged 2-15. The core sample was designed to be representative of the population living in private households in England and should be used for analyses at the national level. <br> <br> All private households in the general population sample are eligible for inclusion in the survey (up to a maximum of three households per address). For the core sample, up to two children aged 0-15 are interviewed in each household, as well as up to 10 adults aged 16 and over. At boost sample addresses, interviewers screened for households containing at least one person of either of the age groups covered in the boost: persons aged 65 and over, or (for certain months) children aged 2-15 years. Because of funding restrictions, the boost sample only included children during fieldwork conducted in January, February, October, November and December. At each household where people of the eligible ages were found, all persons aged 65 and over, and up to two eligible children were selected by the interviewer for inclusion in the survey. Interviewing was conducted throughout the year to take account of seasonal differences.<br> <br> For the second edition (April 2010), three new children's Body Mass Index (BMI) variables have been added to the individual data file (bmicat1, bmicat2, bmicat3). The original variables (bmicut, bmicut2, bmicut3) are unreliable and should not be used. Further information is available in the documentation and on the Information Centre for Health and Social Care <a href=" http://www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/health-and-lifestyles-related-surveys/health-survey-for-england" title "Health Survey for England" >Health Survey for England</a> web page.<br> <br> For the third edition (July 2011), the GHQ12 variables were amended to correct errors in the GHQ12 scores. See document 'Note about GHQ12 problems in HSE Data' for details.<br> <br><B>Main Topics</B>:<br>For adult respondents, the HSE 2005 focused on the health of older people. All adults were asked modules of questions on general health, alcohol consumption, smoking, fruit and vegetable consumption and complementary and alternative medicine. Older informants were also asked about use of health, dental and social care services, cardiovascular disease (CVD), chronic diseases and quality of care, disabilities and falls. Older informants in the boost sample received a slightly shorter questionnaire, omitting questions about fruit and vegetable consumption and complementary and alternative medicines. An interview with each eligible person was followed by a nurse visit. <br> <br> Children aged 13-15 years were interviewed themselves, and parents of children aged 0-12 were asked about their children. The child interview included questions on physical activity, and fruit and vegetable consumption.<br> <br> Standard Measures:<ul><li>General Health Questionnaire (GHQ12)</li><li>Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)</li><li>Geriatric Depression Score</li><li>EQ-5D Health State</li></ul

Health Survey for England, 2001

<p>Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.</p>The <I>Health Survey for England</I> is a series of surveys designed to monitor trends in the nation's health. It is commissioned by the Information Centre and carried out by the Joint Health Surveys Unit of the National Centre for Social Research and the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London.<ul><li>The aims of the HSE series are: <li>to provide annual data about the nation's health;</li><li>to estimate the proportion of people in England with specified health conditions;</li><li>to estimate the prevalence of certain risk factors associated with these conditions;</li><li>to examine differences between population subgroups in their likelihood of having specific conditions or risk factors;</li><li>to assess the frequency with which particular combinations of risk factors are found, and which groups these combinations most commonly occur;</li><li>to monitor progress towards selected health targets;</li><li>since 1995, to measure the height of children at different ages, replacing the National Study of Health and Growth, and to monitor the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children.</li></ul>The survey includes a number of core questions every year but also focuses on different health issues at each wave. Topics are revisited at appropriate intervals in order to monitor change.<br> <br> Further information about the series may be found on the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) <a href="http://www.hscic.gov.uk/article/3741/Health-Survey-for-England-Health-social-care-and-lifestyles" title="Health Survey for England; health, social care and lifestyles">Health Survey for England; health, social care and lifestyles</a> webpage, the NatCen Social Research <a href="http://www.natcen.ac.uk/our-research/research/health-survey-for-england/" title="NatCen Health Survey for England">NatCen Health Survey for England</a> webpage and the University College London Health and Social Surveys Research Group <a href="http://www.ucl.ac.uk/hssrg/studies/hse" title="UCL Health Survey for England">UCL Health Survey for England</a> webpage.<br> <br>The 2001 Health Survey for England (HSE01) consists of a general population sample and is designed to provide data at both national and regional level about the population living in private households in England. All private households in the general population sample are eligible for inclusion in the survey (up to a maximum of three households per address). Up to two children aged 0-15 are interviewed in each household, as well as up to 10 adults aged 16 and over. Information was obtained directly from persons aged 13 and over. Information about children under 13 was obtained from a parent with the child present.<br> An interview with each eligible person was followed by a nurse visit both using computer assisted interviewing. The survey is conducted throughout the year to take into consideration seasonal differences.<br> <br> For the third edition (April 2010), three new children's Body Mass Index (BMI) variables have been added to the individual data file (bmicat1, bmicat2, bmicat3). Further information is available in the documentation and on the Information Centre for Health and Social Care <a href=" http://www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/health-and-lifestyles-related-surveys/health-survey-for-england" title "Health Survey for England" >Health Survey for England</a> web page.<br><B>Main Topics</B>:<br> The interview included the question modules that are asked in most years in the Health Survey ('core' modules), such as general health and longstanding illnesses, use of health services, drinking, cigarette smoking, psycho-social health (GHQ12) and non-fatal accidents. In the 2001 survey for the first time were questions on fruit and vegetable consumption, which will be included as a core module in future years and infant length measurements were recorded on children under two. Also included were questions on respiratory health and atopic conditions.<br> <br> Standard Measures<br> General Health Questionnaire (GHQ12)

English Longitudinal Study of Ageing COVID-19 Study, Waves 1-2, 2020: Special Licence Access

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing&nbsp;(ELSA) study is a longitudinal survey of ageing and quality of life among older people that explores the dynamic relationships between health and functioning, social networks and participation, and economic position as people plan for, move into and progress beyond retirement. The main objectives of ELSA are to: construct waves of accessible and well-documented panel data; provide these data in a convenient and timely fashion to the scientific and policy research community; describe health trajectories, disability and healthy life expectancy in a representative sample of the English population aged 50 and over; examine the relationship between economic position and health; nvestigate the determinants of economic position in older age; describe the timing of retirement and post-retirement labour market activity; and understand the relationships between social support, household structure and the transfer of assets. Further information may be found on the ELSA project website, the Institute for Fiscal Studies: ELSA webpages; and the NatCen Social Research: ELSA webpages. Health conditions research with ELSA - June 2021 The ELSA Data team have found some issues with historical data measuring health conditions. If you are intending to do any analysis looking at the following health conditions, then please contact the ELSA Data team at NatCen on&nbsp;[email protected]&nbsp;for advice on how you should approach your analysis. The affected conditions are: eye conditions (glaucoma; diabetic eye disease; macular degeneration; cataract), CVD conditions (high blood pressure; angina; heart attack; Congestive Heart Failure; heart murmur; abnormal heart rhythm; diabetes; stroke; high cholesterol; other heart trouble) and chronic health conditions (chronic lung disease; asthma; arthritis; osteoporosis; cancer; Parkinson's Disease; emotional, nervous or psychiatric problems; Alzheimer's Disease; dementia; malignant blood disorder; multiple sclerosis or motor neurone disease). Special Licence Data: Special Licence Access versions of ELSA have more restrictive access conditions than versions available under the standard End User Licence (see 'Access' section below).&nbsp;Users are advised to obtain the latest edition of SN 5050 (the End User Licence version) before making an application for Special Licence data, to see whether that is suitable for their needs. A separate application must be made for each Special Licence study.&nbsp;Special Licence Access versions of ELSA include: Primary data from Wave 8 onwards (SN 8346) includes all the variables in the EUL primary dataset (SN 5050) as well as year and month of birth, consolidated ethnicity and country of birth, marital status, and more detailed medical history variables. Wave 8 Pension Age Data (SN 8375) includes all the variables in the EUL pension age data (SN 5050) as well as year and age reached state pension age variables. Wave 8 Sexual Self-Completion Data (SN 8376) includes sensitive variables from the sexual self-completion questionnaire. Wave 3 (2007) Harmonized Life History (SN 8831) includes retrospective information on previous histories, specifically, detailed data on previous partnership, children, residential, health, and work histories. Detailed geographical identifier files for Waves 1-8 which are grouped by identifier held under SN 8429 (Local Authority District Pre-2009 Boundaries), SN 8439 (Local Authority District Post-2009 Boundaries), SN 8430 (Local Authority Type Pre-2009 Boundaries), SN 8441 (Local Authority Type Post-2009 Boundaries), SN 8431 (Quintile Index of Multiple Deprivation Score), SN 8432 (Quintile Population Density for Postcode Sectors), SN 8433 (Census 2001 Rural-Urban Indicators), SN 8437 (Census 2011 Rural-Urban Indicators). Where boundary changes have occurred, the geographic identifier has been split into two separate studies to reduce the risk of disclosure. Users are also only allowed one version of each identifier: either SN 8429 (Local Authority District Pre-2009 Boundaries) or SN 8439 (Local Authority District Post-2009 Boundaries) either SN 8430 (Local Authority Type Pre-2009 Boundaries) or SN 8441(Local Authority Type Post-2009 Boundaries) either SN 8433 (Census 2001 Rural-Urban Indicators) or SN 8437 (Census 2011 Rural-Urban Indicators) ELSA Wave 6 and Wave 8 Self-Completion Questionnaires included an open-ended question where respondents could add any other comments they may wish to note down. These responses have been transcribed and anonymised. Researchers can request access to these transcribed responses for research purposes by contacting the ELSA Data Team at NatCen.The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) Covid-19 study can be seen as a follow-up study based on the sample of the regular ELSA study (held under SN 5050). ELSA was launched in 2002 with the primary objective of exploring ageing in England through the operationalisation of a longitudinal design, where repeated measures are taken over time from the same sample of study participants, composed of people aged 50 or above. After the beginning of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak at the end of 2019, its classification as global pandemic by the World Health Organisation in March 2020 and the gradual escalation of protective measures in the UK, culminating with the enforcement of a nation-wide lockdown in late March, the ELSA research team identified the need to carry out a new ad-hoc study that measures the socio-economic effects/psychological impact of the lockdown on the aged 50+ population of England.Acknowledgment statement:The ELSA COVID-19 Substudy was funded through the Economic and Social Research Council via the UK Research and Innovation Covid-19 Rapid Response call. Funding has also been received from the National Institute of Aging in the US, and a consortium of UK government departments coordinated by the National Institute for Health Research.Further information can be found on the&nbsp;ELSA COVID-19 Study&nbsp;webpage.ELSA COVID-19&nbsp;study: End User Licence and Special Licence data The main data and documentation for the ELSA COVID-19&nbsp;study are available under SN 8688, subject to standard End User Licence conditions. This study (SN 8918) contains only interview week variables, which are subject to stringent Special Licence conditions. Users should obtain SN 8688 and check whether it is suitable for their needs before considering an application for this study (SN 8918). Main Topics: Interview week variables for the ELSA COVID-19 study (the main End User Licence study is held under SN 8688).</p

Low Income Diet and Nutrition Survey, 2003-2005

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.In the United Kingdom, the diet and nutritional status of the general population is monitored by the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) programme (held at the UK Data Archive under GN 33275). Results from the NDNS surveys indicate that differences exist in food consumption and nutritional status between lower and higher social economic groups. The Low Income Diet and Nutrition Survey (LIDNS) was commissioned to provide for the first time robust, nationally representative, baseline data on food consumption, nutrient intake and nutritional status and factors affecting these in low-income/materially-deprived consumers. Data were collected between 2003 and 2005 and the survey report was published in July 2007. The survey included over 3,700 adults and children throughout the UK and had a number of components. It collected detailed quantitative information on food consumption, which was used to assess nutrient intakes. Physical measurements (e.g. height, weight, blood pressure) were also taken, and a blood sample for analysis of nutritional status indices. Finally, information on socio-economic, demographic and lifestyle characteristics was collected in a detailed interview and assessments of physical activity and oral health were made by questionnaire. Specific aims of LIDNS were toprovide quantitative data on the food and nutrient intakes, sources of nutrients and nutritional status of low-income groups describe the characteristics of individuals with intakes of specific nutrients above or below the national averageassess the diets of low-income consumers to determine the extent to which they are sufficiently nutritiousevaluate the extent to which the diets of low-income consumers vary from expert recommendationsprovide physical measurements of health-related factors closely associated with diet, namely height, weight and other anthropometric measurements and blood pressure for a representative sample of low-income individualsmeasure blood indices that provide evidence of nutritional status or dietary biomarkersassess physical activity levels of low-income groupsprovide basic information on smoking and oral health status in relation to dietexamine the relationship between dietary intake and factors affecting food choice in low-income groupsexamine possible relationships between diet and risk factors in later life.Main Topics:The survey questionnaires covered: household demographics; shopping habits; food preparation; cooking skills; food provided at school for children; eating habits; food avoidance and feeding advice; health; dental health; physical activity; smoking; alcohol consumption; education; employment; management of finances; household income; and coping strategies. Self-completion questionnaires were also given to children and young people aged 8-12, 13-15 and 16-24 years. In addition, a nurse visit was also conducted as part of the survey, to gather anthropometric measurements and blood samples. For further details, see documentation