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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2009 Feb 1.
Published in final edited form as: Br J Psychiatry. 2008 Feb;192:98–105. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.107.040113

Table 1.

Sample Characteristics

Country Survey1 Sample Characteristics2 Field Dates Age Range Sample Size Response Rate

Part I Part II Part II and Age ≤ 444
Belgium ESEMeD Stratified multistage clustered probability sample of individuals residing in households from the national register of Belgium residents. NR 2001–2 18+ 2419 1043 486 50.6
Colombia NSMH Stratified multistage clustered area probability sample of household residents in all urban areas of the country (approximately 73% of the total national population) 2003 18–65 4426 2381 1731 87.7
France ESEMeD Stratified multistage clustered sample of working telephone numbers merged with a reverse directory (for listed numbers). Initial recruitment was by telephone, with supplemental in-person recruitment in households with listed numbers. NR 2001–2 18+ 2894 1436 727 45.9
Germany ESEMeD Stratified multistage clustered probability sample of individuals from community resident registries. NR 2002–3 18+ 3555 1323 621 57.8
Italy ESEMeD Stratified multistage clustered probability sample of individuals from municipality resident registries. NR 2001–2 18+ 4712 1779 853 71.3
Israel NHS Stratified multistage clustered area probability sample from national register of Israeli residents. NR 2002–4 21+ 4859 -- -- 72.6
Japan WMHJ2002-2003 Un-clustered two-stage probability sample of individuals residing in households in four metropolitan areas (Fukiage, Kushikino, Nagasaki, Okayama) 2002–3 20+ 2436 887 282 56.4
Lebanon LEBANON Stratified multistage clustered area probability sample of household residents. NR 2002–3 18+ 2857 1031 595 70.0
Mexico M-NCS Stratified multistage clustered area probability sample of household residents in all urban areas of the country (approximately 75% of the total national population). 2001–2 18–65 5782 2362 1736 76.6
Netherlands ESEMeD Stratified multistage clustered probability sample of individuals residing in households that are listed in municipal postal registries. NR 2002–3 18+ 2372 1094 516 56.4
New Zealand NZMHS Stratified multistage clustered area probability sample of household residents. NR 2004–5 16+ 12992 7435 4242 73.3
Nigeria NSMHW Stratified multistage clustered area probability sample of households in 21 of the36 states in the country, representing 57% of the national population. The surveys were conducted in Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa and Efik languages. 2002–3 18+ 6752 2143 1203 79.3
PRC5 Beijing B-WMH Stratified multistage clustered area probability sample of household residents in the Beijing metropolitan area. 2002–3 18+ 2633 914 307 74.8
PRC5 Shanghai S-WMH Stratified multistage clustered area probability sample of household residents in the Shanghai metropolitan area. 2002–3 18+ 2568 714 263 74.6
South Africa SASH Stratified multistage clustered area probability sample of household residents. NR 2003–4 18+ 4315 -- -- 87.1
Spain ESEMeD Stratified multistage clustered area probability sample of household residents. NR 2001–2 18+ 5473 2121 960 78.6
Ukraine CMDPSD Stratified multistage clustered area probability sample of household residents. NR 2002 18+ 4725 1720 541 78.3
United States NCS-R Stratified multistage clustered area probability sample of household residents. NR 2002–3 18+ 9282 5692 3197 70.9
1

ESEMeD (The European Study Of The Epidemiology Of Mental Disorders); NSMH (The Colombian National Study of Mental Health); NHS (Israel National Health Survey); WMHJ2002-2003 (World Mental Health Japan Survey); LEBANON (Lebanese Evaluation of the Burden of Ailments and Needs of the Nation); M-NCS (The Mexico National Comorbidity Survey); NZMHS (New Zealand Mental Health Survey); NSMHW (The Nigerian Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing); B-WMH (The Beijing World Mental Health survey); S-WMH (The Shanghai World Mental Health Survey); SASH (South Africa Health Survey); CMDPSD (Comorbid Mental Disorders during Periods of Social Disruption); NCS-R (The US National Comorbidity Survey Replication).

2

Most WMH surveys are based on stratified multistage clustered area probability household samples in which samples of areas equivalent to counties or municipalities in the US were selected in the first stage followed by one or more subsequent stages of geographic sampling (e.g., towns within counties, blocks within towns, households within blocks) to arrive at a sample of households, in each of which a listing of household members was created and one or two people were selected from this listing to be interviewed. No substitution was allowed when the originally sampled household resident could not be interviewed. These household samples were selected from Census area data in all countries other than France (where telephone directories were used to select households) and the Netherlands (where postal registries were used to select households). Several WMH surveys (Belgium, Germany, Italy) used municipal resident registries to select respondents without listing households. The Japanese sample is the only totally un-clustered sample, with households randomly selected in each of the four sample areas and one random respondent selected in each sample household. Nine of the 15 surveys are based on nationally representative (NR) household samples, while two others are based on nationally representative household samples in urbanized areas (Colombia, Mexico).

3

The response rate is calculated as the ratio of the number of households in which an interview was completed to the number of households originally sampled, excluding from the denominator households known not to be eligible either because of being vacant at the time of initial contact or because the residents were unable to speak the designated languages of the survey.

4

All countries, with the exception of Nigeria, PRC Beijing, PRC Shanghai, and Ukraine (which were age restricted to ≤ 39) were age restricted to ≤ 44.

5

People’s Republic of China