Introduction

The Health Survey for England (HSE) is an annual survey carried out since 1991, collecting data and providing statistics on the health and lifestyles of the English population. The survey is an authoritative and comprehensive source of data that cannot be obtained from other sources. Survey data have been collected using face-to-face in-home interviews, with a second stage carried out by trained nurses. Additional data are collected using paper self-completion questionnaires, administered during the face-to-face interview. 

In March 2020, face-to-face in-home interviewing was suspended for HSE and other government surveys in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the government’s guidance. In response, the HSE 2020 survey fieldwork design was adapted to explore remote data collection through a push-to-web design.[1]

The HSE 2020-21 Feasibility Study (HSE FS) tested the suitability of transferring key interview content from face-to-face data collection to remote online and paper self-completion modes. The survey was commissioned by NHS Digital and carried out by NatCen Social Research and University College London (UCL). The survey design was agreed with the HSE Steering Group.

The comparisons presented in this report should only be used to guide survey design; figures quoted are for comparison reasons only and to help understand differences in mode.

The aims of the HSE FS were to

• test the suitability of transferring key HSE survey content from face-to-face interviewing to self-completion modes (online and paper self-completions)
• test the overall response rates achieved using self-completion data collection methods
• test the acceptability of collecting agreement to a future nurse visit and data linkage consents   
• assess the data in terms of data quality, and comparability of survey estimates with the face-to-face survey