Summary
Population Size:
-1
Contact Point:
Documentation
Associated Media:
Description:
The main topics included in the survey are:
1) general health, long-term conditions & chronic pain
2) mental wellbeing, loneliness & stress at work
3) cardiovascular disease and use of services
4) asthma, respiratory & COVID-19
5) diet, vitamin supplements & food insecurity
6) alcohol, smoking, drugs & gambling
7) physical activity
8) dental health and services
9) biological measurements (including Body Mass Index) & prescribed medicines
10) accidents & CPR training
11) Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) & parental history
12) unpaid caring
Not all topics are included in the survey every year.
Data from the 1998, 2003 and 2008 to 2020 Scottish Health Surveys has now been linked to health record data on:
1. visits to hospital and length of stay
2. diagnosis, treatments and hospital stays for cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and psychiatric episodes
3. if the respondent has passed away, the date and cause of death
4. COVID-19 positive test results and vaccinations
Access is via a short application to be assessed by the PHS Data Protection Team.
A full list of the variables included in the linked datasets is available on request.
Any study requiring additional health record or Scottish Health Survey variables not included in the standard linked datasets will require an application to the relevant Public Benefit and Privacy Panel.
In Pipeline:
Available
Coverage
Spatial:
- United Kingdom
- Scotland
Typical Age Range Min:
0
Typical Age Range Max:
150
Provenance
Origin
Purpose:
Other
Dataset Type:
- Lifestyle
- Socioeconomic
Dataset Sub-Type:
Not applicable
Source:
Electronic survey
Collection Source:
Home
Image Contrast:
Not stated
Temporal
Publishing Frequency:
Annual
Start Date:
01 September 1995
Time Lag:
Not applicable
Accessibility
Access
Access Service Category:
TRE/SDE
Access Service:
Scottish National Safe Haven / Trusted Research Environment:
https://publichealthscotland.scot/services/data-research-and-innovation-services/electronic-data-research-and-innovation-service-edris/national-safe-haven-nsh/
Access Request Cost:
Delivery Lead Time:
Variable
Data Controller:
Scottish Government
Data Processor:
Scottish Government
Jurisdiction:
- Northern Ireland
- Great Britain
Usage
Data Use Limitation:
General research use
Data Use Requirements:
- Disclosure control
- Not for profit use
- Project-specific restrictions
Format and Standards
Vocabulary Encoding Scheme:
LOCAL
Conforms To:
LOCAL
Language:
English
Format:
- text
- csv
Observations
Statistical Population
Population Description
Population Size
Measured Property
Observation Date
Findings
0
Count
01 February 2026