The SHeS was introduced in 1995 to provide a detailed picture of the health of the Scottish population in private households. It was designed to make a major contribution to the monitoring of health in Scotland.

The survey asks a range of questions relating to health and health behaviours, as well as collecting height and weight measurements.

This dataset is owned and managed by the Scottish Government.

The main topics included in the survey are: 1) general health, long-term conditions & chronic pain 2) mental wellbeing, loneliness & stress at work 3) cardiovascular disease and use of services 4) asthma, respiratory & COVID-19 5) diet, vitamin supplements & food insecurity 6) alcohol, smoking, drugs & gambling 7) physical activity 8) dental health and services 9) biological measurements (including Body Mass Index) & prescribed medicines 10) accidents & CPR training 11) Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) & parental history 12) unpaid caring Not all topics are included in the survey every year.

Data from the 1998, 2003 and 2008 to 2020 Scottish Health Surveys has now been linked to health record data on:

1. visits to hospital and length of stay
2. diagnosis, treatments and hospital stays for cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and psychiatric episodes
3. if the respondent has passed away, the date and cause of death
4. COVID-19 positive test results and vaccinations

Access is via a short application to be assessed by the PHS Data Protection Team.

A full list of the variables included in the linked datasets is available on request.

Any study requiring additional health record or Scottish Health Survey variables not included in the standard linked datasets will require an application to the relevant Public Benefit and Privacy Panel.