Participant detailsThe 2007 NSMHWB was a nationally representative, crosssectional household survey. Sampling was based on random selection from a stratified, multistage area probability sample of private dwellings 11 with state sample allocations based on Estimated Resident Population (ERP) data. One resident was randomly selected for each household. This was adjusted to increase the odds of selecting participants aged 16-24 and 65-85 years, to ensure sufficient sample sizes for these age groups. Initially,17,352 dwellings were selected, but this was reduced to 14,805 once households that were out of scope or vacant were excluded. There were 8,841 participants. Data were weighted by the inverse of probability of selection and by demographic benchmarks based on the ERP (excluding those living in non-private dwellings), education attainment, and labour force participation.
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MeasuresDemographic variables used in this study were: country of birth (Australian-born/Other English-speaking country/Non-English speaking country); age (in 10-year cohorts); gender (female/male); relationship status (never married/married/separated/divorced/ widowed); education attainment (primary school [Year 8 or below]/ high school [Years 9-12]/vocational certificate/diploma, including advanced diploma/university degree or higher); labour force participation (working full time/working part time/unemployed/not in the labour force/studying [not working]/ retired); and Australian Defence Force (ADF) veteran status (yes/no).Health measures were PROs for overall mental and physical health (excellent/very good/good/ fair/poor). Mental health delineations of alcohol abuse, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and suicidal ideation were made using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview, Version 3 (CIDI). 11,13,14 Classifications were: those without the condition/who had ever experienced it in their lifetime/and those who had experienced it in the previous 12 months. In addition, psychological distress (PD) was assessed with the K10; 15 the cut points were: 10-15 represented a low level of PD/16-21 moderate/22-29 high/and 30-50 very high PD. 16 For physical conditions, participants reported whether they had ever been told by a doctor or nurse that they suffered from arthritis (and/or rheumatism), asthma, cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes and stroke. Each was triaged into those without the condition; who had ever experienced the condition; and who had experienced the condition in the past 12 months (defined as those who reported receiving treatment for the condition in the previous 12 months). Body mass index (BMI) was reported; the classifications were underweight (BMI<18.50), normal (18.50-24.99), overweight (25.00-29.99) and obese (≥30.00).
17HRQoL was assessed with the AQoL (also known as the AQoL-4D). This is a generic multi-attribute utility (MAU) instrument designed for the evaluation of public health and acute care interventions. It comprises 15 items, each with four levels. There are five sca...
