European Health Interview Survey (EHIS)

What it is

The European Health Interview Survey (EHIS), carried out in all EU Member States, focuses on the main aspects of the population’s health conditions and use of health services. This survey is important for the possibility to compare the main health indicators both among Member States and among the Italian regions. The survey results are of great social relevance as they allow monitoring main aspects of health, essential for the national health planning to meet the citizens’ needs and contribute to defining European policies.
The survey is included in the National Statistical Programme 2023-2025 (cod. IST 02565), approved by Presidential Decree 24 September 2024, which collects the set of needed statistical surveys in Italy. The current National Statistical Programme is available at https://www.sistan.it/index.php?id=688. EHIS 2025 is required by two Regulations of the European Commission: the Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/297 and the Implementing Regulation (EU) n. 2529/2023.

Who is interviewed

The survey is carried out on a sample of approximately 24,000 households, resident in 797 Italian municipalities. Each household member has to respond to questions of the individual questionnaire. Responses has to be provided by the respondent himself/herself. If the person is aged under 15, the answers must be provided by a parent or an adult of the family. Moreover, a household adult can respond on behalf of the person concerned only if this person is absent for the entire survey timeframe, if he/she is hospitalized or if he/she has a serious permanent health problem (proxy technique).

How the households are selected

The households are randomly extracted from the Register of Individuals (Registro Base degli Individui – RBI) by a sampling design providing a statistically representative sample of the resident population in Italy.

Some days before starting the survey, the households selected receive an informative letter signed by the President of ISTAT (Italian National Institute of Statistics) introducing the survey and providing information on the questionnaire administration method.

Survey period

The survey is conducted during two periods: March-May and September-November 2025. Some of the sample municipalities participate in both survey periods, while others are involved in only one of the two periods.

How data is collected

The information is gathered by different techniques: sample households may fill the online questionnaire on their own (CAWI technique – Computer Assisted Web Interviewing). Sample households not filling the online questionnaire or partially filling it, are contacted by a municipal interviewer, to proceed with a face-to-face interview (CAPI technique – Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing). The day of the interview, the interviewer provides one paper questionnaire for each adult in the household that must be filled by themselves(PAPI technique – Paper and Pencil Interviewing). The filled paper questionnaires will be gathered by the interviewer by agreement with the family. To ensure the protection of personal data the paper questionnaires are delivered to the interviewer in sealed envelopes.

How to consult the results of the survey

The main survey results are made available on the ISTAT website both through the statistical reports, under the topic “Health and health care”, and through data tables. Furthermore, the individual data collected (“microdata files”) are made available, free of charge, for users and researchers for scientific research purposes. In any case, these files lack the identifying data of the individuals, as well as any other data that allows, even indirectly, to trace back the household or its members.

For the previous wave of the survey, performed in 2019, the results are available on the ISTAT website:

• Elderly: health conditions in Italy in 2019 – Statistics report
• Prevention and lifestyles in Italy and in the European Union 2019 – Statistics report
• Health conditions and use of health services in Italy and in the European Union 2019 – Dataset
• Microdata for public use
• Microdata for researchers
• Methodological Note

As regards the metadata of the survey, as well as the information collected, the activities of prevention, control and evaluation of the error and the indicators of coverage and non-response, the SIQual quality information system can be consulted.

Obligation to respond

The obligation to respond for this survey is established by the art. 7 of the Legislative Decree No. 322/1989 and by the Presidential Decree 24 September 2024 of approval of the National Statistical Program 2023-2025 reporting the list of surveys with the obligation of response for private subjects. No fine is applied in case of no response. The list of surveys with the obligation of response for private subjects is available on the web at https://www.sistan.it/index.php?id=688.

The obligation of response is not applied to sensitive questions (special categories of personal data – Article 9 Reg. (EU) 2016/679) and the respondent has the right to answer or not. For those questions the item “I prefer not to answer” has been added to possible answers. In case of face to face interview, the interviewer must report such sensitive questions.

The sensitive questions for which there is no obligation to respond regard: Health status; Oral health: q2.1; Diseases and chronic conditions; Absence from work (due to health problems); Pain; Mental health; Functional limitations; Personal care activities; Household activities; Barriers to participation to specific life domains; Well-being; Chronic pain; Use of inpatient and day care; Medical consultations: from q15.1 to q15.4; Medical examinations: q16.1; Other ambulatory and home care services: q17.1 and q17.3; Provision of care or assistance; Medicine use; Preventive services; Life styles: q25.1 and q25.2; Contraception.

There is no obligation to respond to individual questionnaire for children under 15 years old. Nevertheless, the answers could be provided by a parent or an adult of the family, who can decide whether to respond or not. For persons aged 15 and over, like adults, responses could be provided by themselves.

Protection of confidentiality

Data collected by the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS) are protected by statistical confidentiality (Article 9 of Legislative Decree No. 322/1989) and subject to the legislation on the protection of personal data (EU Regulation 2016/679 and Legislative Decree No. 196/2003). 

Responsible for personal data processing: ISTAT – National Institute of Statistics, Via Cesare Balbo, 16 – 00184 Rome is responsible for personal data processing. Concerning data collection and processing activities, ISTAT has designated the Director of the Central Directorate for Data Collection and the Director of the Central Directorate for Social and Welfare Statistics according to their respective tasks for the treatment of personal data.

Responsible for personal data protection: ISTAT responsible for personal data protection can be contacted to the address Via Cesare Balbo, 16 – 00184 Rome; e-mail: responsabileprotezionedati@istat.it.

Purpose of data processing: data are collected and processed for the production of statistics on health conditions and use of health services.

Legal basis: the data are processed for the production of official statistical information and, therefore, to carry out a task of public interest entrusted to ISTAT (art. 1, par. 2, and art. 15 Legislative Decree No. 322/1989); the survey is included in the National Statistical Programme 2023-2025 (code IST-02565), approved by Presidential Decree 24 September 2024. The current National Statistical Programme can be found at: https://www.sistan.it/index.php?id=688

Data source: personal data on socio-demographic characteristics of individuals and households derived from the ‘Municipal Register List’ (IST-02492) are processed for the purposes of the survey. Pseudonymised data from the ‘Register of Individuals’ (IST- 02721) may be used for data correction and control activities.

Dissemination of data: only aggregated data will be disseminated by ISTAT, in such a way that it is not possible to trace them back to the persons supplying them or to whom they refer, thus ensuring maximum confidentiality for the persons concerned.

Data retention: for the purpose of this survey, data will be retained in personal form for 240 months.

Data controller and Processor

Data Processors: the list of external subjects appointed as Data Processors, pursuant to Article 28 of the Regulation, and the list of processing operations carried out by them can be found at: https://www.istat.it/it/informazioni-e-servizi/per-i-rispondenti/elenco-soggetti-esterni-trattamento-dati.

Communication of the data: the data may be communicated by ISTAT, exclusively for statistical purposes, to the subjects of the National Statistical System (art. 6, par. 1, lett. b), Legislative Decree No. 322/1989) and to the European Commission (EUROSTAT); they may also be communicated, for scientific research purposes, under the conditions and according to the modalities provided for by art. 5-ter of Legislative Decree No. 33/2013 and by Regulation (EU) No. 557/2013.

Rights of the persons concerned and right to complain: ISTAT guarantees, within the limits set by the Regulation, the exercise of their rights to the persons concerned (art. 15 et seq.), with the exception of the right to object to processing (art. 21, par. 6) and the right to data portability (art. 20, par. 3). The exercise of the right of rectification is guaranteed in accordance with the procedures set out in Article 6-bis of Legislative Decree No. 322/1989 and Article 11 of the ‘Deontological rules for processing for statistical or scientific research purposes carried out within the National Statistical System’ (Annex A.4 to Legislative Decree No. 196/2003). In order to exercise the aforementioned rights, it is possible to write to the Responsible of Data Protection of ISTAT at the addresses indicated above. The persons concerned also has the right to lodge a complaint with the Italian Data Protection Authority or to take legal action (art. 77 and art. 79 Regulations).

Contacts
E-mail: ehis@istat.it

or call Toll-free number

1510 (Monday to Saturday 9 a.m. – 7 p.m., excluding public holidays)