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This part describes recommended methods for assessing prevalence and awareness of the risk factors that are listed in Part I. Population indicators of chronic disease risk factors. The proposed risk factor data will only represent a subset of the data collected in most health surveys. For this reason we only specify operational guidelines. These guidelines are designed to assure standardized and stable measurements needed for comparison between countries and for trend monitoring. As such, they should be incorporated into local Manuals of Operations that consider all the requirement for local survey management.
The proposed methods of data collection fall into two major categories, namely questionnaire instruments and physical examinations. The questionnaires may be completed by the survey participants themselves (self-administered) or by interviewers, either in telephone or face-to-face interviews. The physical examinations should most conveniently be performed in a clinic setting, with the clinic being either at a fixed location or installed as a mobile unit (see Part II.).
Our proposals are made with the knowledge that they are in conflict with some practices of previous national risk factor surveys. Our primary aim was to focus on procedures that provide improved data quality. There may be good reasons - such as backward compatibility with previous surveys - that some of these national surveys will continue the adhere to their established procedures, rather than adopt our proposals.
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