Surveys are used to assess health conditions and guide health programs. There are three main types of health surveys: health surveys assess overall health issues, morbidity surveys focus on a specific condition, and utilization surveys examine health service use. Effective surveys require thorough planning, appropriate tools like questionnaires, and obtaining permissions. Observation and interviews are commonly used for data collection, with each method having advantages and disadvantages. Structured techniques help ensure reliability and validity.

1. SURVEYS
PRESENTED BY:
DR SANJAYA KUMAR SAHOO
AIIH&PH,KOLKATA

2. SURVEYS:
• To view in detail,especially to inspect, examine or appraise in order to
ascertain the condition/situation.
• Surveys constitute the basic tool of research in communities.
• Surveys mainly concerned with groups or populations rather than individuals.
Outcome of surveys represents the sum total of the group and cannot reflect
each individual’s concern or interest.
• There are many types of survey such as social surveys, Gallup polls, utilisation
surveys, morbidity survey etc.
• In health sector 3 basic types of survey conducted:
--Health survey
--Morbidity survey
--Utilization survey

3. Surveys in the health sector
Health survey
Studying a population or a particular
segment of population in order to asses its
health problems or to detect condition to
which preventive measures may be
applied.
Morbidity survey
It is a specific survey dealing with only one
element in the full range of possible
components of a health survey
Utilization survey
It demonstrate how many people are utilising
services provided by specific facilities.

4. USES OF SURVEY:
To assess the magnitude of a specific disease condition or health related events in specified
community or well-defined geographical area.
To guide planning of national,regional or local health programs.
To evaluate control activities or national health programs.
To study community perceptions and attitude related to health and disease.
To evaluate degree of utilisation of health care facilities.
To provide data for planning and evaluation of community intervention and health educational
activity.
To suggest and test hypotheses on health related events and diseases condition.
Surveys are useful for research,training,planning and evaluation.

5. PLANNING FOR SURVEY:
Surveys shouldn’t be undertaken unless there are compelling
reasons as large scale surveys are expensive propositions.
One should be reasonably sure that the information that is being
sought is not available from any source.
Meticulous planning therefore required to obviate several
problems that may crop up at a later stage.
Therefore certain questions should be answered during the
planning process

6. Why is the survey being undertaken?
Where will it be carried out?
Who all will be covered by survey?
When will the survey be carried out?
What instruments will be used?
What will be the survey schedule?How is the data to be analysed?
If these problems are addressed at the planning stage,unnecessary hurdles will be avoided during
the execution of the survey.

7. Essential prerequisites for survey:
• The following must be fulfilled before starting of a survey:
1. Permission from the appropriate administrative authority should be
obtained.
2. Objectives of the survey should be defined beforehand, precise and clear.
3. The community leader should be explained all aspects of the survey and their
cooperation solicited.
4. Community health surveys should always be planned with the intent of
carrying out an appropriate action program like examination and referral or
treatment of minor ailments.

8. • Contd..
5. The members of the community should preferably be told the
subsequent plan of action or follow-up activities after completion of survey.
6. As much background data as possible should be collected regarding the
community like demographic profile, health facilities available, leaders etc.
7. The available resources should be carefully scrutinised. This include
money, manpower materials and time.

9.  In our discussion we will mainly focus on data collection instruments.
SURVEY INSTRUMENTS:
Data collection instruments:
1.Observation
2.Questionnaires and schedules
3.Interview
Projective techniques
Supplementary diagnostic
instruments :
such as hemoglobinometer, infantometer,
microscope, ECG and X-ray machines, etc.

10. OBSERVATION

11. Types of Observation
• Participant vs Non-participant observation
• Structured vs. Unstructured observation

12. • Observer is an eavesdropper
• Someone who attempts to observe people without interacting
with them
• Without their knowledge that they are being observed
• Used most routinely by psychologists studying children and
animals.
Non
Participant
Observation:
• Observer participates actively, for an extended period of time
• May require observer to live or work in that area
• Assumes that observer will become accepted member of the
group or community
• Historically field research has been associated most strongly
with participant observation.
Participant
Observation:
Levels of participation:
Both types of observation are poles of a continuum.
At one extreme is the participant observer who becomes completely absorbed in the group under observation
At the other is the non-participant who tries to remain aloof from it.

13. Unstructured
Observation
• Early phase of the research
• May become specific to when and where to observe, what specific aspects of the
setting or behavior to observe, and how to make and record observations
• How to do unstructured observation
• Take a notebook and pen
• Note down when you see something interesting.
• Write down theories as you form them.
• Don’t jump to conclusions straight away.
• Look for more evidence.
• Ask people to confirm things
Structured
Observation
• Greater control of sampling
• Measurement of error
• Permits stronger generalizations and checks on reliability and validity
• This is more like a survey, where every respondent is asked the same set of
questions. But in this case, questions are not asked. Instead, particular types of
behavior are looked for and counted.

14. • Advantages:
Do not depend on recall of memory
A good deal of information we can gather.
• Disadvantages:
Language barrier
Cultural barrier
An individual’s belief and perception cannot be adequately represented.
May consume a lot of time.
Not everything is amenable to observation. e.g.,sexual behaviour cannot be
observed.
Though it is possible to observe particular people or families, even if they
agree to your presence, the fact that you are observing them can make them
behave differently from normal, and you are never sure that they would do the
same things if they were not being observed.

15. QUESTIONNAIRES AND SCHEDULES

16. INTERVIEWS :
• This is a very popular method of data collection.
• This involves juxtaposition of the interviewer and the interviewee.
• If the interviewee doesn’t understand a question , it can be explained to him
and if more details are desired , additional queries can be posed.
• INTERVIEWING IS AN ART.
“ WHAT TO BE ASKED AND HOW TO PROCEED” are crucial to the
success of this method.

17. Types of Interview:
There are two types of interviewing formats :
• (a) Structured interview :
The format and order of investigation is set out right at the beginning.
• (b) Unstructured : This consists of only an open ended questionnaire with
everything else left to the discretion of the interviewer, e.g. a journalist’s interview.

18. Advantages:
- Can be conducted irrespective of the literacy level of the interviewee.
- Complex psychological problems are better addressed by interviews.
Disadvantages:
- Lack of confidentiality and trust.
- The interviewee may be fall ill at ease because of the presence of the
interrogator.

19. As an interviewer, develop a
personality which shows that you
have a sincerity of purpose,
straight - forwardness, politeness,
proper attire and a clear, non -
shaky voice.
Practice the confidence to deal
with awkward replies like “what is
the catch in this question”, “why
don’t you take somebody else for
your research”, etc.
Take necessary administrative
sanctions for conducting interviews
from relevant authorities like
Principal of School, Government
Officers, Superintendent of the
hospital etc.
Secure a proper appointment from
the subject. Try and take a time
when the respondent is likely to
have the least commitments; e.g.
school games time for children,
weekend holidays for office going
personnel, midday for house wives
etc.
Try and find a place for the
interview that is comfortable,
has optimum privacy and there
are no barriers to
communication
Do not forget to carry your
identity card / introductory
letter issued to you from your
department
Steps before Starting an Interview:

20. TECHNIQUE OF INTERVIEW:
1. Establishing contacts:
2. Starting an interview
3. Securing rapport
4. Recall
5. Probe question
6. Encouragement
7. Guiding the interview
8. Recording
9. Closing the interview
10. report

21. Projective Methods:
The major use is in the field of psychiatry.
The framed question is designed to act as a stimulus to elicit
more complex emotional information. The stimuli are capable of
eliciting varied responses and the responses are interpreted as
indicative of the respondents personality.