When trying to gain a representative picture of the nation’s health, it is important for us to interview children as well as adults.

For children aged 0-12 years, parents will be asked to answer questions on behalf of their child, while the child is present in the room. Children aged 13-15 years are asked to answer the questions for themselves. Children aged 8 years and above may also be given a written questionnaire to fill in by themselves. We recognise that children have the same entitlement to confidentiality as adults.

The interview for children covers topics such as general health and behaviour that can affect health, for example eating habits and physical activity. The interviewer will also ask permission to collect some physical measurements such as height and weight. Parents will be asked some personal details such as age, sex and employment, which are needed to interpret the results.

With permission, the interviewer will then arrange for some children to be visited by a nurse at a convenient time. This will only happen in households where adults have also been selected for interview.

The nurse will take some measurements. Which measurements are taken will depend on the age of the child: Blood pressure will be taken from those aged 5 years and over. Waist and hip measurements will be taken from those aged 11 years and over. Saliva sample will be taken from those aged 4 years and over. The nurse will only take these measurements if the child agrees to them. A child is free to refuse to have any particular measurement taken, even if they are willing to help the nurse in other ways.

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