The Health Ministry will launch its nationwide STEPS Survey 2024 on Monday, April 15th.
This exercise is aimed at gathering information on lifestyle practices from households across T&T.
According to the Ministry, the STEPS survey is a World Health Organisation STEPwise approach to NCD risk factor surveillance which allows for collecting, analysing and disseminating data on key Non-Communicable Diseases risk factors in countries.
The survey instrument also covers key behavioural risk factors including tobacco use, alcohol use, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, as well as key biological risk factors such as obesity, raised blood pressure, raised blood glucose, and abnormal blood lipids.
The STEPS survey, led by the Ministry’s Non-Communicable Diseases Unit, will be used to monitor this country’s trends as it relates to NCDs, with the objective to inform policy decisions and behavior change communications by the Ministry.
All field staff will be dressed in high-visibility vests with the Health Ministry and STEPS survey logos for identification purposes.
They will also have assigned Ministry of Health ID cards.
The Ministry is encouraging the public to cooperate so that accurate information can be provided if their household is selected.
It adds that all information collected is strictly confidential and will not be shared outside of the exercise.
The Ministry also clarifies that the STEPS survey is not a census.