ACT General Health Survey (ACTGHS)
ACT Health has been conducting this yearly phone survey with randomly-selected households since 2007. The survey collects information about the health and lifestyles of ACT residents.
Traditionally, the ACT General Health Survey collects information from adults and children about chronic disease risk factors, such as nutrition, physical activity, obesity, alcohol and smoking.
In 2019, the survey was extended beyond traditional chronic disease risk factors to include broader factors that influence adult health and wellbeing, such as resilience and adapting to change, social supports, perceptions of safety, financial stressors, experience of discrimination and gender equity. The wellbeing questionnaire is conducted triennially with adults only. The risk factor questionnaire is conducted for two consecutive years with adults and children.
In 2020, a new child wellbeing module was introduced as part of the child questionnaire. The child questionnaire is part of the risk factor questionnaire and is conducted over two consecutive years.
Data from the ACTGHS are reported in the Chief Health Officer’s Report and are available within the Statistics and Indicators tab within the HealthStats ACT website. The data also contributes to various ACT Government reports, including (but not limited to) Focus On reports, the ACT Wellbeing Framework and the Community Services Directorate report: ‘A Picture of ACT’s Children and Young People’.
For more information, email HealthSurvey@act.gov.au.
2018 ACTGHS questionnaire
2019 ACTGHS questionnaire
2020 ACTGHS questionnaire
ACT Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey (ACTPANS)
The ACTPANS has been conducted every three years since 2006. It is administered by professional survey staff, on behalf of ACT Health, in the classroom setting.
Information about physical activity, nutrition, healthy weight status, attitudes and general wellbeing indicators are collected. Height and weight are also measured.
Questionnaire items include:
- eating patterns and food intake levels
- physical activity and sedentary behaviour
- attitudes to physical activity
- general health and wellbeing.
In 2018, 1,491 ACT Year 6 students from 30 primary schools across the ACT participated in the ACTPANS.
Data from the ACTGHS are reported in the Chief Health Officer’s Report and are available within the Statistics and Indicators tab within the HealthStats ACT website.
For more information, contact: HealthSurvey@act.gov.au.
2018 ACTPANS questionnaire
Australian Secondary Students' Alcohol and Drug (ASSAD) survey
Please note that the 2020 Australian Secondary Students' Alcohol and Drug survey has been postponed until 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Australian Secondary Students’ Alcohol & Drug (ASSAD) survey commenced in 1984 and has been conducted every three years in the ACT since 1996. The ASSAD survey was designed to provide estimates of the current prevalence of tobacco, alcohol and illicit substance use among Australian secondary school students (aged 12 to 17 years of age) and to examine trends in their use over time.
In 2020, the ACT will also collect information about:
- general wellbeing
- relationships with family and friends
- use of leisure time
- nutrition
- physical activity and sedentary behaviour
- self-reported height and weight
- sun protection.
A standard sampling procedure, administration method and core questionnaire is used throughout all states and territories of Australia. The survey is coordinated nationally by the Cancer Council Victoria, with each of the states and territories managing the data collection within their own jurisdiction.
The last survey was conducted in 2017; ACT secondary students completed a total of 1,491 surveys.
Data from the ACT component of the ASSAD survey are reported in the Chief Health Officer’s Report and are available within the Statistics and Indicators tab within the HealthStats ACT website. The national report is available on the Department of Health website.
For more information, visit: Cancer Council Victoria or the National Drug Strategy, or email HealthSurvey@act.gov.au.
2017 ACT ASSAD survey questionnaire