South Australian Monitoring and Surveillance System (SAMSS)

Background | Data Collection & Questionnaire | Methodology  | Publications | Reports

Background

The South Australian Monitoring and Surveillance System (SAMSS) was established in 2002 by Population Research and Outcome Studies (PROS) when PROS was situated within SA Health.  PROS continue to operate SAMSS although all data belong to SA Health.

The objectives of SAMSS are to:

• Provide high quality, representative data;
• Characterise the problem or topic by time;
• Detect epidemics or changes in the topic occurrence;
• Identify high risk groups or risk factors associated with the problem or topic and to suggest hypotheses for further investigation;
• Estimate the burden of the problem or topic;
• Highlight gaps in information and services that affect South Australians' general health and wellbeing;
  Disseminate findings to professionals and administrators within SA Health, and other human services professionals or organisations in South Australia and Australia;
• Project future health care needs;
• Set priorities for allocation of resources; and
• Strengthen the network for surveillance and monitoring of issues relevant to SA Health to improve information gathering and exchange.

SAMSS monitors population trends in state and national risk factors and chronic diseases so that the Department of Health has appropriate, timely and valid population health information to monitor health status, respond to population changes and support planning, implementation, and evaluation of health services and programs.

Trend and time series analyses allows changes over time to be detected.  Dissemination of the trend analysis data to SA Health in a timely, user-friendly, electronic format will be a priority.

Data Collection & Questionnaire

Data collection started in June 2002 and over 72,000 interviews have been conducted annually in South Australia for all ages.

Most previous SA household surveys have only collected information on people aged 18 years and over. SAMSS, however, collects information on infants and children in the household using an appropriate surrogate process and personally interviews people aged 16 years and over.

On contact, a person is randomly selected within the household by determining who was last to have a birthday. The selected person is interviewed if they are 16 years and over. If the person is less than 16 years, then the interviewer selects the most appropriate adult who can answer the questions on the child's behalf.

The survey is conducted by telephone utilising the CATI (Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing) system. The advantages of CATI surveys are that they are flexible, quick, efficient, relatively cost effective and timely.

SAMSS collects data each month. Collection of information less frequently, for example, once or twice a year, will mean that the monitoring system may not detect changes throughout the year, such as seasonal variables or changes due to intervention initiatives. Approximately 600 interviews are conducted each month with people of all ages.

A copy of the SAMSS questionnaire can be viewed here.
The rationale document for the inclusion of items in the questionnaire can be viewed here.

Methodology

SAMSS is a relatively simple, efficient and timely system. That is, data collection is quick without compromising the quality of the information collection. The system is flexible to accommodate the changing characteristics of the population and needs of health professionals, administrators and policy makers.

SAMSS Technical Paper 1 - Method

Publications

2011
Chittleborough CR, Winefield H, Gill TK, Koster C, Taylor AW. Age differences in associations between psychological distress and chronic conditions. International Journal of Public Health 2011; 56(1):71–80.

Taylor AW, Chittleborough C, Gill TK, Winefield H, Baum F, Hiller JE, Goldney R, Tucker G, Hugo G. Relationship of social factors including trust, control over life decisions, problems with transport and safety, to psychological distress in the community. Social Psychiatry Psychiatric Epidemiology. 2011; DOI 10.1007/s00127-011-0354.

Taylor AW, Winefield H, Kettler L, Roberts R, Gill TK. A population study of 5 to 15 years old: full time maternal employment not associated with high BMI. The importance of screen-based activity, reading for pleasure and sleep duration in children's BMI. Maternal Children Health Journal. 2011; DOI: 10.1007/s10995-011-0792-y

Shi ZM, Taylor AW, Goldney R, Winefield H, Gill TK, Tuckerman J, Wittert G.  The use of a surveillance system to measure changes in mental health in Australian adults during the global financial crisis. International Journal of Public Health. 2011; 56(4):367-72.

2010
Chittleborough C, Winefield H, Gill T, Koster C, Taylor A. Age differences in associations between psychological distress and chronic conditions.  International Journal of Public Health. 2011; 56:71–80.

Daly A, Parsons J, NW, Gill T, Taylor A. Using risk factor surveillance as a basis for mixed-methodology research: an example from Australia using food intake and anthropometric measures. International Journal of Public Health. 2010; 55:655–660.

Shi Z, Taylor A, Gill T, JT, Adams R, Martin J. Short sleep duration and obesity among Australian children. BMC Public Health. 2010; 10:609.

Shi Z, Taylor AW, Wittert G, Goldney R, Gill TK. Soft drink consumption and mental health problems among adults in Australia. Public Health Nutrition. 2010; 13(7)1073–1079

Taylor AW, Campostrini S, Gill T, Heriott M, Carter P, Dal Grande E.  The use of chronic disease risk factor surveillance systems for evidence-based decision-making – physical activity and nutrition as examples. International Journal of Public Health. 2010; 55:243-249.

2009
Chittleborough CR, Taylor AW, Baum FE, Hiller JE. Monitoring inequities in self-rated health over the life course in population surveillance systems. Am J Public Health. 2009; 99:680-9.

Dal Grande E, Gill T, Wyatt L, Chittleborough CR, Taylor AW.   Population attributable risk analysis of overweight and obesity on chronic diseases South Australian representative cross-sectional data, 2004-6. Obesity Research & Clinical Practice. 2009; 3:159-168.

Gill T, Taylor AW, Broderick D, Avery J, Dal Grande E. Self reported overall health status:  Implications for intervention strategies. Australasian Medical Journal. 2009; 1(8):44-57.

Goldney RD, Dunn KI, Air TM, Dal Grande E, Taylor AW.  Relationships between body mass index, mental health, and suicidal ideation: population perspective using two models.  Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. 2009; 43:652-658.

2008
Collins JE, Gill TK, Chittleborough CR, Martin AJ, Taylor AW, Winefield H. Mental, emotional and social problems among school children with asthma. Journal of Asthma 2008; 45(6):489-493.

2007
Carter P, Taylor A. Food insecurity in South Australia. Public Health Bulletin 2007; 4:23-5.

Taylor AW, Dal Grande E, Gill T, Fisher L, Goldney R. Detecting determinants of suicidal ideation: South
Australian surveillance system results. Int J Public Health 2007; 52:142-52.2006

Taylor A. Chronic disease surveillance in South Australia. Public Health Bulletin 2006; 3:6-9.

Taylor AW, Dal Grande E, Gill T, Chittleborough CR, Wilson DH, Adams RJ, Grant JF, Phillips P, Ruffin RE. Do people with risky behaviours participate in biomedical cohort studies? BMC Public Health 2006; 6:11.

Reports

2002-20 The South Australian Monitoring and Surveillance System (SAMSS)

The Health Status of South Australians by Socio-Economic Status (SEIFA)