Iranian Health Perception Survey (IHPS): the study protocol

Objective (s): This paper aims to document our approach to data collection for a nationwide study on health perception among an Iranian general population using a simple and short questionnaire. This project was developed through group discussions in Iranian Institute for Health Sciences Research. An extensive literature search carried out to provide a simple and short questionnaire to cover topics related to health (physical, mental and social), health-related behaviors, self-reported health, health information, and satisfaction with health care as perceived and rated by the respondents. The intention was to collect data from a random sample of individuals aged between 18 and 65 years living in Iran. Primarily a sample of 24000 individuals from all 30 provinces in Iran was thought. However, the actual sample size obtained was 27883. The plan then was to analyze the data using a descriptive approach locally and nationally. It is hoped that this study would provide basic information for better understanding on how people thinking and how they behaving about their health. Based on the results obtained we also might be able to establish areas for health interventions and contribute to health policy in Iran.