Sex in Australia: the rationale and methods of the Australian Study of Health and Relationships

Objective: To describe the methods and process of the Australian Study of Health and Relationships. Methods: A computer-assisted telephone interview was developed and applied to a stratified sample of the Australian population. After initially weighting to reflect the study design, the sample was further weighted to reflect the location, age and sex distribution of the 2001 Census. Results: Interviews were completed with 10,173 men and 9,134 women aged 16–59 years from all states and Territories. The overall response rate was 73.1% (69.4% among men and 77.6% among women). After accounting for the survey design and weighting to the 2001 Census, the sample appears broadly representative of the Australian population. Conclusion: The combination of methods and design in the Australian Study of Health and Relationships, coupled with the high response rate, strongly suggests that the results of the study are robust and broadly representative of the Australian population.