The National Health Survey 2022 was conducted from January 2022 to April 2023 and is the most recent in a series of Australia-wide health surveys. Data was collected people aged zero years and over across Australia, excluding very remote areas and discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

The survey focused on the health status of Australians and health-related aspects of their lifestyles. Information was collected on long-term and chronic health conditions, as well as health risk factors such as smoking and vaping, alcohol consumption, and physical activity.

Prescription medications data was sourced from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) through linkage to the Person Level Integrated Data Asset, instead of being collected directly from survey respondents. Appropriate permissions were obtained to source the PBS data for this purpose.

For key statistics, see National Health Survey, 2022.

For more information on the scope, geography, collection method, reporting guidelines used and history of changes, see National Health Survey methodology, 2022.
 

The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS) 2022–23 was conducted from August 2022 to March 2024. Data was collected from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged zero years and over around Australia, in both non-remote and remote areas, including discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

The survey focused on the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and was developed following extensive consultation to identify priority data requirements and data gaps. Information was collected on long-term and chronic health conditions, as well as health risk factors such as smoking and vaping, alcohol consumption, and physical activity.

The survey was designed to provide reliable estimates at the national and state/territory levels and by remoteness. Estimates for the Australian Capital Territory are not able to be published separately but are included in national estimates.

For main findings, see National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, 2022-23.

For more information on the scope, geography, collection method, reporting guidelines used and history of changes, see National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey methodology, 2022-23.

The National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NNPAS) 2023 was conducted from January 2023 to March 2024 and collected information from people aged two years and over across Australia, excluding very remote areas and discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Information was collected about nutritional intakes (including foods, nutrients and dietary supplements consumed) using dietary recall and additional self-reported questions.

Dietary intake information was collected using Intake24, which is a dietary recall assessment tool that was modified to reflect Australian conditions. It involves a structured interview, where participants are asked to recall all the food and drinks they consumed in the 24 hours prior to interview.

Participants were asked to complete a second day of dietary recall eight days after their interview. This will support the analysis of:

• usual nutrient intakes
• food consumption against the 2013 Australian Dietary Guidelines.

Physical and sedentary activity information was collected from respondents using a combination of measured and self-reported data. To measure physical and sedentary activity, participants aged 5 years and over were asked to wear an activity wristband. Additional self-report questions were asked of participants about sleep. Children’s self-reported physical and sedentary activity information was also collected.

Similar nutrition and physical activity data was previously collected in the NNPAS 2011–13.

For main findings, see National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey, 2023.

The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NATSINPAS) 2023 was conducted from January 2023 to March 2024. Data was collected from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 2 years and over around Australia, in both non-remote and remote areas, including discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

The survey was developed following extensive consultation to identify priority data requirements and data gaps.

Information was collected about nutritional intakes (including foods, nutrients and dietary supplements consumed) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Additional information was collected on:

• access and barriers to healthy and nutritious foods
• access and barriers to drinking tap water
• influences on dietary choices.

Dietary intake information was collected using Intake24, which is a dietary recall assessment tool that was modified to reflect Australian conditions. It involves a structured interview, where participants are asked to recall all the food and drinks they consumed in the 24 hours prior to interview.

Physical and sedentary activity information was collected from respondents using a combination of measured and self-reported data. To measure physical and sedentary activity, participants aged 5 years and over were asked to wear an activity wristband. Additional self-report information was collected from participants on physical and sedentary activity, and sleep.

Similar nutrition and physical activity data was previously collected in the NATSINPAS 2012–13.

For more findings, see National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey, 2023.

The National Health Measures Survey (NHMS) 2022–24 was conducted from January 2022 to April 2024 and involved the collection of biomedical samples from participants aged 5 years and over across Australia, excluding very remote areas and discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

It measured specific biomarkers for chronic disease and nutrition status, from tests on blood and urine samples from volunteering participants selected in either the National Health Survey 2022 or the National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey 2023.

Biomarkers collected include:

• chronic disease biomarkers, including tests for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and liver function
• nutrient biomarkers, including tests for iron, folate, vitamin B12, iodine, vitamin D, sodium and potassium levels.

In addition to chronic disease and nutrient biomarkers, the NHMS 2022–24 included tests for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which are chemical contaminants found in the environment.

Participants’ self-reported information on health conditions and health risk factors, such as diet, physical activity and smoking, was taken from their responses in the other IHMHS surveys. For more information, see Overlap between surveys in the IHMHS.

This was the second time the ABS collected voluntary biomedical data in the NHMS. It was previously collected in 2011–13.

For main findings, see National Health Measures Survey, 2022–24.

For more information on the scope, geography, collection method, reporting guidelines used and history of changes, see National Health Measures Survey methodology, 2022–24.

The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Measures Survey (NATSIHMS) 2022–24 was conducted from August 2023 to April 2024 and involved the collection of biomedical samples from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants aged 5 years and over across Australia, in both non-remote and remote areas, including discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

It measured specific biomarkers for chronic disease and nutrition status, from tests on blood and urine samples from volunteering participants selected in either the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey 2022–23 or the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey 2023.

Biomarkers collected include:

• chronic disease biomarkers, including tests for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and liver function
• nutrient biomarkers, including tests for iron, folate, vitamin B12, iodine, vitamin D, sodium and potassium levels.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances were not tested in this survey following consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Participants’ self-reported information on health conditions and health risk factors, such as diet, physical activity and smoking, was taken from their responses in the other IHMHS surveys. For more information, see Overlap between surveys in the IHMHS.

For main findings, see National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Measures Survey, 2022–24.

For more information on the scope, geography, collection method, reporting guidelines used and history of changes, see National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Measures Survey methodology, 2022–24.

Several topics were collected in both the National Health Survey (NHS) 2022 and the National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NNPAS) 2023. Content common to both surveys is therefore available in the National Health Measures Survey 2022–24. The following diagram shows the overlap in topics between the NHS 2022 and the NNPAS 2023.

Several topics were collected in both the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS) 2022–23 and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NATSINPAS) 2023. Content common to both surveys is therefore available in the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Measures Survey 2022–24. The following diagram shows the overlap in topics between the NATSIHS 2022–23 and the NATSINPAS 2023.

Whilst content for the NHS 2022 and the NATSIHS 2022–23 were designed separately, and responses were not combined, users may be interested in topics collected in both surveys. The diagram below compares the content between these surveys.

Whilst content for the NNPAS 2023 and the NATSINPAS 2023 were designed separately, and responses were not combined, users may be interested in topics collected in both surveys. The diagram below compares the content between these surveys.

The National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing (NSMHW) 2020–22 was run with two cohorts and collected information about mental health prevalence in Australia for people aged 16–85 years. The first cohort was surveyed between December 2020 and July 2021. The second cohort was surveyed between December 2021 and October 2022.

The survey uses the Composite International Diagnostic Instrument (CIDI) 3.0, which is a diagnostic tool developed by the World Health Organization for assessing mental disorders. The CIDI asks respondents about symptoms and experiences over their lifetime as well as in the last 12 months and assesses these against diagnostic criteria for mental disorders.

As part of the NSMHW 2020–22, there was a 12-month follow-up phone interview survey for participants who agreed to participate. Respondents were asked about mental health service use and associated outcomes.

There is no Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples component for this study.

The ABS previously conducted this survey in 2007. The 2020–22 survey is broadly comparable with the 2007 cycle.

For main findings, see National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing, 2020-2022.

For more information on the scope, geography, collection method, reporting guidelines used and history of changes, see National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing methodology, 2020-2022.