DOI: 10.5255/ukda-sn-6339-1
title: Health and Lifestyle Survey Deaths and Cancer Data, June 2009
title: Health and Lifestyle Survey, 1984-1992
title: HALS

description: Following a number of feasibility studies and pilot surveys carried out in 1978, the first &lt;i&gt;Health and Lifestyle Survey&lt;/i&gt; (HALS1) (held at the UKDA under SN 2218), funded by the Health Promotion Research Trust, was carried out in 1984-1985 on a random sample of the population of England, Scotland and Wales. A follow-up survey, HALS2, was conducted in 1991-1992. Ethical approval for the initial pilot studies was obtained locally, and ethical approval for the main HALS surveys was received from the BMA Ethical Committee before the launch of each survey. &lt;br&gt;
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The first survey, HALS1, was designed as a unique attempt to describe the self-reported health, attitudes to health and beliefs about causes of disease in relation to measurements of health (e.g. blood pressure and lung function) and lifestyle in adults of all ages and circumstances living in their own homes in all parts of Great Britain. It also examined the distribution of, and the relationship between, physical and mental health, health-related behaviour (diet, exercise, smoking and alcohol consumption) and social circumstances. Following completion of HALS1, the respondents were 'flagged' with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) National Health Service register at Southport,so that notification of deaths and copies of death certificates of respondents were provided to the HALS1 team. (Note that at the time of HALS1 and 2, ONS was known as the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS).)&lt;br&gt;
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At the time of HALS1, a repeat survey was not foreseen, so no attempt was made to retain contact with the respondents to HALS1. However, when funding again became available from the Health Promotion Research Trust, as many of the respondents to HALS1 were traced as possible, and re-surveyed for HALS2 (held under SN 3279), which was conducted in 1991-1992. The principal aims of HALS2 were to examine the changes over seven years in the health and circumstances of the surviving respondents of HALS1. &lt;br&gt;
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A further HALS dataset is held under SN 6339, which includes deaths and causes of death, and registrations of cancer morbidity and mortality for HALS respondents, currently up to June 2009. &lt;i&gt;HALS Deaths and Cancer Data&lt;/i&gt;:&lt;br&gt;
This file lists the original 9,003 respondents to HALS (1984-1985) and flags those found on the NHS Central Register at ONS Southport. This allows analysis of final outcome - death - to be correlated against previously reported medical history, physiological status and lifestyle behaviour. In addition, registrations for cancer morbidity and mortality for HALS respondents, taken from the various regional Cancer Registries' returns to ONS, are also included. Up to the beginning of July 2009, notification of some 2,883 deaths has been received, and 1,468 respondents have been coded for cancer. Further details may be found in the documentation.&lt;br&gt;
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This dataset comprises the 7th Listing (6th Update) of Deaths data, and the 4th Listing (3rd Update) of the Cancer data. Prior Listings/Updates of the Deaths and Cancer data were previously held under two separate studies, SN 3491, &lt;i&gt;Health and Lifestyle Survey Deaths Data&lt;/i&gt;, and SN 4540, &lt;i&gt;Health and Lifestyle Survey Cancer Data&lt;/i&gt;. As the Deaths and Cancer data are now included in one file, SNs 3491 and 4540 were combined into SN 6339 at the time the June 2009 updates were deposited, in November 2009.&lt;br&gt;
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