General

What is the GGD Health Monitor 2022?

The GGD Health Monitor 2022 is a national questionnaire about the health, well-being and lifestyle of residents of the Netherlands aged 18 and over. The study will start in September 2022 and over one million people throughout the Netherlands will be invited to complete the questionnaire. In the region Zaanstreek-Waterland over 22.000 residents will be invited.

What is the purpose of the monitor?

Municipalities in the Netherlands have a legal obligation to monitor the health of their residents. This statutory task is carried out for the municipalities by the Municipal Public Health Service (GGD). The GGD normally does this once every four years, but it is even more important during disasters and crises to monitor the health situation in the country, and the coronavirus pandemic is one example of such a crisis. The GGD Health Monitor 2022 will be used by the GGDs to provide insight into the physical and mental health of adults during and after the coronavirus pandemic, at the national, regional and municipal levels. The GGDs will also compare the results with the results of previous monitors from prior to the coronavirus pandemic.

The monitor results will form an important basis for the development and implementation of local health policy. For example, the results may show that more help is needed for certain groups, or that extra facilities are required in a municipality or neighbourhood. Through cooperation with the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and Statistics Netherlands (CBS), the monitor will also provide information about the health of people in the Netherlands as a whole. Because this is a national crisis, the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) is also involved as a commissioning party. The Ministry of VWS will also use the results for policy development.

Which organisations are involved in the monitor?

The GGDs, the public health department of the municipality of Utrecht, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and Statistics Netherlands (CBS) are together carrying out this monitor. I&O Research will collect the data on behalf of these parties.

CBS receives data from other organisations in addition to the data gathered for this monitor, such as data on income and population composition. CBS collates this data in order to minimise the amount of information that needs to be collected. Please note that no personal details can be identified in the merged datasets sent to the GGDs by CBS.

This extra GGD Health Monitor is part of a broader research programme investigating the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. The GOR Network (GOR stands for Health Research in Disasters) is also a partner in this programme. The GOR Network is a joint collaboration between RIVM, GGD GHOR, Nivel and ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre. The research programme is being funded by ZonMw for the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS).

What is the role of I&O Research?

I&O Research has been asked to carry out the field work for the GGD Health Monitor 2022. This means that I&O Research will send the invitations asking people to complete the questionnaire and will collect the answers. To be able to send the invitations, CBS will provide I&O Research with names and addresses. This data will be erased three months after completion of the monitor, in compliance with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).

When and where will the monitor be carried out?

The monitor will be conducted in the whole of the Netherlands and the questionnaire can be filled in between 16 September and 5 December 2022.

How will the monitor participants be selected?

The target population for the monitor is persons aged 18 and over who are residents of the Netherlands. CBS will select people from the Personal Records Database (BRP) for participation in the GGD Health Monitor 2022 at random; this is a random sample. People who reside in the Netherlands temporarily and are registered in the BRP are also included in the target population. The selected people together provide an average representation of the Dutch population. Temporary residents who are registered in the BRP can also be invited for the GGD Health Monitor. The people in the random sample will receive an invitation to fill in a questionnaire from the regional GGD, and this can be filled in online. People who are not selected cannot take part in the monitor.

Why is it important to take part?

To obtain a reliable picture of the health, well-being and lifestyle of residents of the Netherlands aged 18 and over, it is important that as many people as possible complete the questionnaire. If not enough people complete the questionnaire, the results will not form a good representation of the whole of the target population, making the research results less reliable, or even unreliable.

What is in it for me?

By answering questions about your health, you will be forced to think about your own health and well-being. As a result, you may have questions about your health. For this reason, a list of websites providing reliable health information is included at the end of the online questionnaire. These websites can provide answers to questions that you may have after filling in the questionnaire.

By answering the questions, you will also help us and other people in your municipality, as we may use your answers to develop specific policy or to take action to improve the health and well-being of local residents, together with the municipality. For example, the results may show that more help is needed for certain groups, or that extra facilities are required in a municipality or neighbourhood.

Lastly, everyone who completes the online questionnaire is eligible to win one of the 1,900 to the value of €50 VVV gift cards.

Where can I find more information?

For more information or if you have questions about this health monitor, please contact the I&O Research helpdesk. You can call I&O Research free of charge on 0800 0191 (7 days a week, 09.00 – 21.00), or you can send an email to helpdeskGM@ioresearch.nl.

Participation in the monitor

Why have I received an invitation?

We have sent invitations to over one million Dutch residents aged 18 and over to take part in the GGD Health Monitor 2022. Every Dutch resident is registered with their municipality, and CBS has selected people at random from this register to take part in this monitor. If you have received an invitation, you are one of these people. The selected persons together represent the total group of residents aged 18 and over in the municipality. Your name and address details will be used to send the invitation and any reminders to complete the questionnaire. This data will be erased three months after completion of the monitor.

Do I need to give permission somewhere for you to process my data?

No. By completing the online questionnaire, you agree to participate in the GGD Health Monitor 2022. We will remind you of this when you start the questionnaire. Note that you do not have to answer a certain question if you do not want to, and you may stop filling in the questionnaire at any time. Your answers will be processed confidentially, will be stored safely and will not be shared with any party that is not named in the privacy statement.

If you complete the questionnaire online but decide to stop filling it in, any answers that you have already provided will be saved. Should you decide that you do not want your answers to be used in the monitor, we can erase your answers. For this, you can contact I&O Research at helpdeskGM@ioresearch.nl or on 0800 0191 (7 days a week, 09.00 – 21.00). Once you have provided your login details, I&O Research will make sure that your answers are erased.

Do I have to take part in the monitor?

No, participation in the monitor is entirely voluntary, although we would very much appreciate it if you do take part. Your participation is important, because the results of the monitor will be used by the municipality to better align its policy and activities with the needs and requirements of its residents.

How can I take part?

You can fill in the questionnaire online. The invitation letter contains your personal login code; fill this in at www.startvragenlijst.nl/ggd to start the questionnaire. The online questionnaire can be completed on a PC/laptop, tablet as well as on a smartphone.

How long does it take to fill in the questionnaire?

Some people are quicker than others, but on average it should take about 30 minutes.

I’m doing fine, so do I still need to fill in the questionnaire?

Yes please! The aim of this monitor is to get a good idea of how everyone aged 18 and over in the municipality is doing, not just people who are not doing so well. If only these people fill in the questionnaire, it will look like there are a lot of problems in a municipality, even though this may not be the case for everyone.

Why have I received a reminder?

We send a reminder to make sure that as many people as possible complete the questionnaire. We use the login code to work out who has not yet filled in the questionnaire, and these people receive a reminder. You will therefore also receive a reminder if you have started to fill in the questionnaire but have not yet completed it. Note that all address data will be erased three months after completion of the monitor.

I have received a reminder but I have already filled in the questionnaire, why is that?

We probably received or processed your questionnaire after the reminders had already been sent. You do not need to contact I&O Research or the GGD about this, and you can throw the reminder away. You may also have received a reminder if you have started to fill in the questionnaire but have not yet completed it. In this case, please carry on filling in the questionnaire and complete it. If you leave the questionnaire then log in again, you can continue where you left off.

Why do you approach me at home to take part in the GGD Health Monitor 2022?

A small group of people who haven’t filled in the questionnaire after the first invitation are approached by an employee of I&O Research face to face. I&O Research carries out the field work for the GGD Health Monitor 2022. The I&O employee will ask you to take part in the questionnaire. We approach people in areas that are known for lower participation rates. By visiting people’s homes in these areas we hope to motivate enough people to fill in the questionnaire. If you do not want to be approached at home by an employee of I&O, please contact the I&O helpdesk at helpdeskGM@ioresearch.nl or on 0800 0191 (7 days a week, 09.00 – 21.00).

I can’t log in, what should I do?

Perhaps the Caps Lock is turned on or you have used capital letters in the login code when you should use small letters. You should type the address www.startvragenlijst.nl/ggd directly into the search window of your internet browser and not into a search engine (such as Google). If you are unable to log in, please contact I&O Research at helpdeskGM@ioresearch.nl or on 0800 0191 (7 days a week, 09.00 – 21.00).

I have lost my login code; can I get a new one?

We cannot send a new login code, but you can wait for the reminder letter, which you will receive about three weeks after the invitation. This reminder contains the login code.

My computer has stopped working, what now?

Do not worry if you are unable to carry on filling in the questionnaire because of a problem with your computer or because the page has timed out. You can simply log in again after ten minutes and carry on where you were (the system needs this time to recognise that you are no longer filling in the questionnaire). The answers that you have filled in so far will be saved automatically, so you don’t have to start the questionnaire again.

I stopped halfway, what now?

You can stop filling in the questionnaire at any time. You can then simply log in again and carry on where you were. The answers that you have filled in so far will be saved automatically, so you don’t have to start the questionnaire again.

I have lost the return envelope, what now?

You can send the questionnaire without a postage stamp to:

I&O Research
Antwoordnummer 90275
3009 VB Rotterdam

Is it possible to withdraw from the study after I have completed the questionnaire?

By completing the questionnaire, you agree to participate in the GGD Health Monitor 2022. Note that you do not have to answer a certain question if you do not want to, and you may stop filling in the questionnaire at any time. If you stop filling in the questionnaire, any answers that you have already provided will be saved. Should you decide that you do not want your answers to be used in the study, we can erase your answers. This is possible until 15 December 2022. To do so, you can contact I&O Research at helpdeskGM@ioresearch.nl or on 0800 0191 (7 days a week, 09.00 – 21.00). Once you have provided your login details, I&O Research will make sure that your answers are erased.

Can someone else complete the questionnaire for me?

No, it is important that the questionnaire is filled in by the person who the invitation was sent to. Please therefore check that it is your name on the invitation letter. If this is not the case, please give the questionnaire to the person it is addressed to. People are selected to take part in the monitor at random, and the selected persons together provide an average representation of people in the whole of the municipality. Are you unable to complete the questionnaire on your own? If so, you can ask a family member or someone else to help, but you must fill in your answers. You can also contact I&O Research at helpdeskGM@ioresearch.nl or on 0800 0191 (7 days a week, 09.00 – 21.00) if you need help filling in the questionnaire.

How can I register for the GGD Health Panel?

GGD Zaanstreek-Waterland has a health panel. When you sign up for this health panel, you will receive a short questionnaire about health and health-related issues a few times a year. You can indicate at the end of the questionnaire whether you would like to participate in the GGD Zaanstreek-Waterland Health Panel by filling in your personal details. This personal information cannot be linked to the answers provided in the questionnaire.  Your registration does not commit you to anything. At any point in time you may decide to withdraw your participation. Note that the panel is only available in Dutch.

Can I get help filling out the questionnaire?

Yes, a helpdesk employee can assist you with filling out the questionnaire. You can get assistance in various languages. You can call the helpdesk (I&O Research) free of charge on 0800 0191 (7 days a week, 09.00 – 21.00).

Privacy

What happens to the data that is collected?

The aim of the GGD Health Monitor 2022 is to monitor the health of adults over a period of time. The monitor will therefore be carried out again in 2024. To enable comparisons to be made with this and previous monitors, we need to save the results. We have taken the required technical and organisational measures to ensure that the data is protected, and the data that we store will not contain any directly identifiable information.

Names and addresses are used by I&O Research to send the invitations and reminders to complete the questionnaire and to inform prize winners that they have won a prize. This data cannot be linked to the answers provided in the questionnaire and will be erased three months after completion of the monitor.

What about privacy?

We will of course process your answers with the utmost care. Your privacy is protected as a participant in this study in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). This means that the collected data will be handled and processed in strict confidence.

We are not interested in information on individual persons, and the research results will only present data on the total group of residents aged 18 and over or subgroups such as the elderly or young people. We will not present any results on individual persons, and your answers will therefore never be published. Would you like to know more about how we handle the privacy of participants? Read our privacy statement here.

How did you obtain my name and address?

Every resident in the Netherlands is registered with their municipality, and municipalities are required by law to provide official government agencies with information from the municipal population register. For the GGD Health Monitor 2022, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) received data from the municipal population register. Using this data, CBS selected people for participation in the GGD Health Monitor 2022 at random, who are therefore representative of the population. This group of residents has been sent an invitation to fill in the questionnaire.

How can you check whether I have filled in the questionnaire?

For the online questionnaire, the login code is registered so that the computer can see whether or not you have completed the questionnaire.

Do other people know what I have filled in?

We only use your name and address to send the invitation and the reminders. A small group of people will be approached face to face and asked to fill in the questionnaire (see also: ‘Why do you approach me at home to take part in the GGD Health Monitor 2022?’).  If you indicated that you want to participate in the prize draw, we will also use your name and address to inform you when you have won a prize (see also:  Prize draw). The data file containing the names and addresses is not coupled to your answers and will be erased on completion of the monitor. The research results only describe the total group of residents aged 18 and over or subgroups such as the elderly or young people, and not individuals. Your individual answers will therefore not be published. Would you like to know more about how we handle the privacy of participants in this study? Read the privacy statement here.

How is my privacy guaranteed when data is combined with other data?

The answers provided in this monitor will be combined with information sent to CBS by other organisations, such as data on income and population composition. The GGDs, the public health department of the municipality of Utrecht, RIVM and CBS will use this data to produce statistics on Dutch society as a whole. By combining this data, we are able to work as efficiently as possible while guaranteeing the privacy of participants. Every participant is assigned a unique number, based on which the data is combined. This is an automated process in which no personal information such as name and address is used.

How is my personal information used in the GGD Health Panel?

GGD Zaanstreek-Waterland has a health panel. This consists of a group of residents from the region who complete a short online questionnaire a few times a year on health and health-related issues. After filling in the questionnaire, you may register to join our health panel by clicking on the link and filling in your personal details. This data will not be linked to your answers in the GGD Health Monitor 2022. Registration with the health panel is free of obligation and you can decide to withdraw your participation in the panel at any time. You may cancel your registration on the website of the panel or by clicking on the link at the bottom of every health panel e-mail. Note that the panel is only available in Dutch.

Topics covered in the questionnaire

Which topics does the questionnaire deal with?

The questionnaire deals with the following topics:

  • General information: age, sex, household composition, education, work
  • Financial situation
  • Health and well-being: mental health, stress, loneliness, resilience, non-specific complaints, chronic disorders, long COVID
  • Lifestyle: height and weight, exercise
  • Substance use: smoking, alcohol
  • Participation: social support, volunteer work
  • Care and help: informal care, postponed healthcare
  • Major life events: traumatic experiences, suicidal thoughts, impact of COVID-19

In addition, every GGD has the option to include local questions in order to know more about what’s going on within the region. GGD Zaanstreek-Waterland has included questions about self-mastery, meaning in life, substance use (only participants between 18-64 years old), nutrition, sleep and noise pollution.

Why do you want to know my level of education?

Municipalities are interested in the differences in health between different groups of adults. This could show, for example, that more help is needed for certain groups. This is why the questionnaire contains a number of questions about your background, including your level of education.

I would like more information about one or more topics in the questionnaire, is that possible?

Yes, that is possible. If you fill in the questionnaire online, you will see a page at the end of the questionnaire listing websites where you can find more information on the topics in this questionnaire.

Monitor results

What will the monitor results be used for?

Municipalities will use the monitor results to develop health policy. Municipalities and the GGD may also use the results to organise specific activities to improve the health and well-being of local residents. Through cooperation with RIVM and CBS, the monitor will also provide information on the health of people in the Netherlands as a whole.

Where can I find the results of the monitor?

The monitor results will be published in mid-2023 on the CBS Statline, RIVM Statline, VZinfo (RIVM) websites,  the GGD Zaanstreek-Waterland website, or the GGD Zaanstreek-Waterland data website. The results will only present data relating to the whole of the group of participants aged 18 and over or subgroups such as the elderly or young people. We will not present any results relating to individual persons, and your answers will therefore not be published.

Will I also be informed of the monitor results?

No, it is not possible to inform the participants of the results, as the addresses of the participants will be erased on completion of the study. The monitor results will be published in mid-2023 on the CBS Statline, RIVM Statline, VZinfo (RIVM) websites, the GGD Zaanstreek-Waterland website, or the GGD Zaanstreek-Waterland data website.

Withdrawal

I cannot or do not want to participate.

It is possible that you cannot or do not want to fill in the questionnaire. In this case, please send an email to helpdeskGM@ioresearch.nl stating your login code, which you will find in the invitation letter, or your address. You may also call 0800 0191 (7 days a week, 09.00 – 21.00).

I have started but do not want to finish the questionnaire.

You can stop filling in the questionnaire at any time. If you do not wish to receive a reminder, please inform us of this by sending an email to helpdeskGM@ioresearch.nl. Please include your login code, which you will find in the invitation letter, or your address. You may also call 0800 0191 (7 days a week, 09.00 – 21.00).

The person to whom the letter is addressed does not live at this address.

Despite the care taken to ensure that the addresses are correct, you may have received an invitation for someone who no longer lives at your address. To ensure that the GGD does not send you any further reminders, please inform us of this by sending an email to helpdeskGM@ioresearch.nl. Please include the login code, which you will find in the invitation letter, or the address. You may also call 0800 0191 (7 days a week, 09.00 – 21.00).

The person to whom the letter is addressed is unable to fill in the questionnaire.

If the person to whom the letter is addressed is unable to fill in the questionnaire, for example due to illness, you may not want this person to continue to receive reminders. Would you please inform us of this by sending an email to helpdeskGM@ioresearch.nl? Please include the login code, which you will find in the invitation letter, or the address. You may also call 0800 0191 (7 days a week, 09.00 – 21.00).

The person to whom the letter is addressed is not currently at this address.

The questionnaire can be completed until 5 December. If the person to whom the letter is addressed will return before this date, they may still be able to fill in the questionnaire. If they will not return before this date, would you please inform us of this by sending an email to helpdeskGM@ioresearch.nl ? Please include the login code, which you will find in the invitation letter, or the address. You may also call 0800 0191 (7 days a week, 09.00 – 21.00).

The person to whom the letter is addressed has died.

Despite the care taken to ensure that the addresses are correct, you may have received an invitation letter for someone who has died. In this case, please accept our sincere apologies. To make sure that the GGD does not send reminders, would you please inform us of this by sending an email to helpdeskGM@ioresearch.nl ? Please include the login code, which you will find in the invitation letter, or the address. You may also call 0800 0191 (7 days a week, 09.00 – 21.00).

I do not want to receive any more post from you.

It is possible that you cannot or do not want to fill in the questionnaire of the GGD Health Monitor. Please inform us of this by sending an email to helpdeskGM@ioresearch.nl. Please include your login code, which you will find in the invitation letter, or your address. You may also call 0800 0191 (7 days a week, 09.00 – 21.00).

If you do not want the GGD to contact you for other future studies, please inform your municipality of this, as we have obtained your name and address from the personal records database (BRP).

 

Prize draw

Is there a reward for participation in the monitor?

Everyone who completes the online questionnaire has a chance to win one of the 1,900 €50 VVV gift cards. You may indicate at the end of the questionnaire whether you would like to participate in the prize draw.

Winners will be sent their prize by post, for which the names and addresses on the participant list will be used. I&O Research will organise the prize draw after the study has ended in early December 2022. If you do not hear anything, then you have unfortunately not won a prize.

We approach part of the random sample face to face if they have not filled in the questionnaire after the first invitation. We will reward everyone who has participated in this way with a VVV Gift Card to the value of 10 euros. They have no chance of winning one of the 1900 VVV Gift Cards with a value of 50 euros.

When will I know whether I have won a VVV gift card?

The VVV gift card prize draw will be organised by I&O Research in early December 2022. If you are one of the winners, the VVV gift card will be sent by post. The names and addresses on the participant list will be used for this. If you do not hear anything, then you have unfortunately not won a prize.

Remaining questions

Who can I approach with a complaint or comment?

When you have a complaint or comment about the GGD Health Monitor, you can contact GGD Zaanstreek-Waterland via onderzoek2022@ggdzw.nl.

As a result of this questionnaire I feel the need to talk to someone. Who can I approach?

There are many help lines you can contact. On www.steunpuntcoronazorgen.nl you can find an overview of help lines with regard to COVID-19 and other topics and other concerns. You can also contact your General Practitioner.