Population health surveys: An introduction to basic concepts

Abstract

Background: Population health surveys are a subset of general survey research methods that overlap with epidemiology, a research domain that has been defined as the study of the distribution of disease in populations, rather than the study of disease processes in affected individuals. Population-based surveys in health, therapy or rehabilitation differ in fundamental ways from other research methods which may involve interventions, experimental designs or non-representative surveys. Content: This article introduces some basic concepts in population survey design so that health professionals can better assess and use information from this source. The different types of population-based survey designs are described, and an overview of sampling methods is provided. The concepts of prevalence and incidence are examined, and methods of diagnostic assessment, reliability estimation, and of survey and data set evaluation are described. Conclusions: Population surveys need to be methodologically sound and reported in sufficient detail for close replication. The strengths and limitations of the design need to be critically discussed with reference to the population in scope and the aims of the study. This article can be used by health professionals to classify the potential strength of a particular population survey with respect to its intended purpose and population in scope.