Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

This study is the first fully representative survey of heights and weights ever to be undertaken among the adult population of Great Britain. The DHSS commissioned the survey as part of their programme of nutritional surveillance both as a national benchmark against which special regional studies could be compared and as a starting point for future monitoring of height and weight in the population.

Multi-stage stratified random sample

the sample was drawn from a random selection of 100 Local Authority districts stratified by type (metropolitan and non-metropolitan) within region, and by social class. In each district two wards were randomly selected and within each selected ward a random sample of households was selected from the electoral register

Face-to-face interview

Clinical measurements

Physical measurements