National Study of Health and Wellbeing: What will taking part involve?
1. Invitation letter
If your household has been selected to take part in the National Study of Health and Wellbeing, you will receive an invitation letter to your home.
- Purple invitation letter- As well as the main National Study of Health and Wellbeing, this year we are carrying out an additional study focusing on the health and wellbeing of people from different ethnicities. If your invitation letter is purple then your household was randomly selected for this study. Click here to find out what to expect.
- Blue invitation letter- If your invitation letter is blue then you household has been randomly selected for the main study. Here are the next steps to expect…
2. The interviewer will visit you
One of our interviewers will call at your address around a week or so after you receive your invitation. Your interviewer will show you their photo ID, so you know who they are.
The interviewer will explain more about the study and ask you some questions. One adult aged 16 or over in your household will be randomly selected to take part in an interview. If you chose to take part, the interview will be arranged at a time and place that suits you.
3. The interview
The interview itself is really relaxed. There’s no need to prepare and you don’t need any special knowledge, we just want to hear about your daily life and what you think.
Your interviewer will ask you questions on a range of topics about your health and wellbeing and the interview will take about 90 minutes. Some of the questions will be asked by the interviewer and some questions you will complete yourself. Don’t worry – you don’t have to answer any questions you don’t want to, you can just skip on to the next one.
As a token of appreciation you will receive a £10 voucher.
4. The second interview
Some people may be selected to take part in a second interview with our collaborators at the University of Leicester. You will be asked for permission to be contacted about this at the end of your first interview. The second interview is carried out at your home at a time that suits you. The second interview tends to be shorter than the first, taking around an hour.
Participants who complete a second interview will receive another £10 voucher.
5. Report
After the interview, your answers will be put together with the answers collected from thousands of other people across England. The survey findings are published in a report, which will not identify anyone who took part in the survey. The results will be used to help the NHS, policy makers and charities understand the needs of everyone in England and help improve planning for national and local health and support services.