Table 2.
Content of the interview of the Asylum Seekers Health and Wellbeing Survey
| Themes | Variable/measure | Questionnaire instrument/measures | Age group |
| Sociodemographics | Age, sex, year of birth, mother tongue and prior country of permanent residence. | – | Adults. 0–17 year-olds. |
| Asylum seeking journey | Year when left permanent residence and route to Finland. | Countries, types of housing and duration of stay in these locations during the asylum journey. | Adults. 0–17 year-olds. |
| Literacy | Language skills, reading and writing skills. | Mastery of languages other than mother tongue, ability to read and write (7+ year-olds). | Adults. 0–17 year-olds. |
| Previous socioeconomic status | Education and occupation. | International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED-2011)30 and prior occupation. | Adults. |
| Health status | Self-rated health and presence of long-term conditions. | Minimum European Health Module.31 | Adults. 0–17 year-olds. |
| Chronic and infectious diseases, medications and current physical symptoms. | Various health conditions diagnosed by a physician, need for regular medication, current medication, various somatic symptoms, tuberculosis symptoms, prior infectious diseases and vaccination history. | Adults. 0–17 year-olds. |
|
| Functional capacity. | Adapted from Washington Group Module.32 | Adults. | |
| Adapted from Unicef/Washington Group Module.33 | 0–17 year-olds. | ||
| Early childhood and development | Gestation and early life development. | Gestation week at birth, complications during birth, birth weight, height and early life development milestones. | 0–12 year-olds. |
| Growth and development. | Previously identified problems in growth and development. | 0–17 year-olds. | |
| Sexual and reproductive health | Sexual behaviour. | Questions related to risk behaviour predisposing to sexually transmitted diseases. | Adults. 13–17 year-olds. |
| Male circumcision/female genital mutilation. | Age of circumcision (if circumcised) and problems associated with female genital mutilation. | Adults. 0–17 year-olds. |
|
| Pregnancies and births. | Number of pregnancies, miscarriages, abortions and parity. | Adults. 13–17 year-olds. |
|
| Traumatic events | Physical trauma due to accident/violence. | Types of injuries before/during asylum journey. | Adults. 0-17 year-olds. |
| Potentially traumatic life events. | Various traumatic life events, adapted from Harvard Trauma Questionnaire.34 | Adults. | |
| Potentially traumatic events, adapted from University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Reaction Index for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV).32 | 0–17 year-olds. | ||
| Mental health | Mental health symptoms. | Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL-25)35 36 and Process of Recognition and Orientation of Torture Victims in European Countries to Facilitate Care and Treatment (PROTECT-able) Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). |
Adults. 2–17 year-olds. |
| Health behaviour | Smoking. | Frequency of smoking and use of different types of tobacco products. | Adults. 13–17 year-olds. |
| Alcohol use. | Alcohol use Disorders Identification Test(AUDIT-C).37 | Adults. | |
| Alcohol use, adapted from the European School Survey Project on Alcol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) questionnaire.38 | 13–17 year-olds. | ||
| Drugs. | Use of intravenous and other drugs. | Adults. 13–17 year-old. |
|
| Diet. | Intake of selected food items. Breast-feeding (0-3 year-olds) | Adults. 0–17 year-olds. |
|
| Dental health. | Frequency of brushing teeth and latest visit to a dentist. | Adults. 0–17 year-olds |
|
| Social networks | Family members and contact with close ones. | Whereabouts of close family members and being able to be in touch with close ones. | Adults. 0–17 year-olds |
AUDIT-C, AUDIT Alcohol Consumption Questionnaire; ESPAD, The European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs; PROTECT, Process of recognition and Orientation of Torture Victims in European Countries to Facilitate Care and Treatment.