Some 8,000 questionnaires were sent on October 15th by the South Eastern Health Board (SEHB) to a sample of male and female residents in the region, which had been randomly selected from the electoral register. Letters of reminder are currently being sent.
The results of the survey, conducted by the public health department, will contribute to the future planning and implementation of the region's health services.
Baseline information about the health of the general population will be compiled from the results.
The information will also allow for comparisons to be made between different groups of people in the population surveyed, and also for comparison with similar international surveys.
Sections of the survey cover general questions about the state of the respondent's health, exercise activities, mental and emotional health, the interaction of health and social activities, as well as general socio-economic information.
The sample group are also asked about what they think are the best and worst points of the region's health system.
One important feature of the survey is that it examines the health of the population in general, rather than solely questioning people who have come into contact with the health services, says MairΘad Fennessy, senior research officer at the SEHB.
The survey is confidential: no one can be identified, and information will not be shared with other agencies or health boards, stressed Ms Fennessy.
She says it is vital that individuals selected for the survey complete and return their questionnaires to achieve an accurate representation of population health. Completed forms are "coming in steadily", says Ms Fennessy. Preliminary results of the survey will be published in early 2002.