There is evidence to suggest that exposure to low parental educational status may result in a decreased HRQoL in childhood, whereas reduced access to material (and thereby social) resources may lead to a lower HRQoL especially in adolescence.

Background: The objective of the present study was to compare three different sampling and questionnaire administration methods used in the international KIDSCREEN study in terms of participation, response rates, and external validity.

At the Hamburg Institute for Sex Research in Germany, a nationwide study is currently being carried out into the sexual experiences, attitudes and relationships of adults (18-75 years). The main focus of this pilot study is to test the comprehensibility and length of a data collecting instrument as well as the comparison of two data collecting methods with regard to reliability and representativeness of the results as well as of the refusal rate. To this end face-to-face interviews (n = 500) and questionnaires sent by post (n = 500) are to be compared with each other as methods. The data to be collected relates to sexuality, particularly the prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The WHO definition of sexual health forms the basis for the study and thus connects up with the existing sex survey research in Europe and western industrial nations. Comparable surveys have been conducted over the past ten years in more than 30 European countries using a variety of methods. The focus of the study is placed upon the increase that has been observed for several years now in certain STIs. The article provides an overview of existing sex survey research in Europe. It becomes clear that the studies conducted so far are very heterogeneous with regard to chosen method, sampling techniques and the choice of content focus, so that no suitable data for cross-national comparability are currently available.

In November 2016, during a workshop organised by the Robert Koch Institute together with the Federal Centre for Health Education, we presented and discussed activities and models surrounding prevention reporting with health reporting representatives from the federal states. The motive for the event was the prevention report, which the National Prevention Conference will prepare every four years beginning in 2019 in order to document, monitor and evaluate its activities. The workshop revealed the desire of stakeholders to discuss survey methods and indicators and harmonise the different reporting systems in the long-term.

The adoption of the Preventive Health Care Act in July 2015 was a key step in strengthening settings-based health promotion and disease prevention. This increases the importance of developing prevention reporting at the national level. In light of international experiences, we therefore propose a multi-step process, which formulates specific goals based on epidemiologically grounded public health needs, which should then be addressed through appropriate intervention strategies. The implementation status of activities needs to be continuously documented and their effectiveness evaluated.