The Luxembourg Health Directorate, in collaboration with the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), has announced the launch of the third national survey on the health of residents, the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS).
At the initiative of Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, this survey is mandatory for all member countries of the European Union and makes it possible to assess the health status of the population in order to contribute to the improvement of health policies and services. It also allows a comparison of the results of the survey against other European countries. Previous surveys took place in 2014 and 2019. This year, it will start on Wednesday 15 January and will run throughout 2025.
In Luxembourg, around 18,000 people aged fifteen and over, residing in private households, will be selected randomly from the National Register of Natural Persons. The selected people will be invited by official letter to take part in the survey. They will be able to answer an online questionnaire or request a paper version. Available in four languages (French, German, English and Portuguese), the questionnaire asks about health status, use of care, determining factors and socio-economic characteristics, while guaranteeing the anonymity of respondents.
The Ministry of Health and Social Security is inviting the selected people to participate in this survey. Participation, although not mandatory, is considered essential to ensure reliable data and a true representation of the health status of Luxembourg residents. The higher the number of participants, the more the data collected will reflect the real state of the population’s health in Luxembourg. The data collected will help to develop the health system through a better understanding of needs which will facilitate the development of appropriate strategies and measures at national and European levels.
Key figures from the 2019 EHIS survey
In 2019, the health status of the population in Luxembourg was perceived as positive, with more than 74% of participants considering their health status to be “good” or “very good”.
The most frequently reported diseases and conditions were lower back conditions, other chronic back disorders and allergies. 18.3% were occasional or daily smokers, while 43.1% reported drinking alcohol at least once a week, a higher proportion than the average in the European Union (28.8%).
Among adults aged eighteen and over, 16.5% were obese and 31.9% were overweight. Almost half (47.9%) of adults did not consume fruit and/or vegetables daily.
