World Health Survey - Current Status
The World Health Survey has been completed in 70 countries and the data sets have been cleaned and weighted and prepared for analysis by country teams. The majority of the data sets are ready and have been distributed to the partners in the countries with the basic tabulations and discussions are in progress to interpret the results. Many countries have produced a country report.
The data from the World Health Survey will be made available to bonafide researchers by the end of 2006. The microdata along with all the metadata will be distributed by WHO. Researchers will be encouraged to use the data to address important policy questions as a global public good for health.
As a follow up to World Health Survey, it is intended that the survey instrument will be modified and adapted for local needs based on lessons learnt. The Multi-Country Studies team will continue to assist member states in the design, implementation and analysis of health surveys. Such a modified survey is to be launched in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) that include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen later in 2005.
In addition studies of special populations such as the older adult population are being continued in the WHO Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE). Newer survey approaches such as studies including biomarkers and improved techniques for small area analysis will be developed.