Groups often omitted from national, household surveys: implications for disability statistics. Howard Meltzer Social and Vital Statistics Division Office for National Statistics, London, UK Washington Group on Disability Statistics 4th

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Groups often omitted from national, household
surveys implications for disability
statistics. Howard MeltzerSocial and Vital
Statistics Division Office for National
Statistics, London, UK Washington Group on
Disability Statistics4th meetingBangkok,
ThailandSeptember 29 October 1, 2004
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The context

• In most counties, the vast majority of the
  population,over 98, live in private households.
  Therefore, for strategic, logistical and economic
  reasons, national surveys aim primarily to gather
  data on this population. Therefore, in many
  counties, residents living in institutions are
  excluded from national surveys.

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The forgotten few

• Elderly people residing in care homes or nursing
  homes
• Prisoners
• Those living in educational establishments
• Military personnel
• Workers living in hostels
• Hotel residents
• plus
• Homeless and roofless people
• Remote groups
• Displaced people

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Why are these groups omitted? (1)

• Size of the population
• Sampling issues
• frame
• variations in size
• permanent versus temporary
• Economic reasons
• Logistical reasons
• access
• informed consent
• Sensitivity

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Why are these groups omitted? (2)

• Applicability of questions
• can do/ allowed to do
• ICF and environmental constraints
• Mode of administration
• face to face
• postal (mail) surveys
• telephone surveys
• Use of proxy informants
• who knows subject the best
• attitudinal questions

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The importance of including the often excluded
groups

• Service provision and resource allocation
• Social inclusion or integration
• Health monitoring of the total population

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What is the best way of increasing coverage?

• Census
• Extending coverage of national household surveys
• Separate institutional surveys

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Groups often omitted from national, household
surveys implications for disability
statistics. Howard MeltzerSocial and Vital
Statistics Division Office for National
Statistics, London, UK Washington Group on
Disability Statistics4th meetingBangkok,
ThailandSeptember 29 October 1, 2004