FAQ

Why have I received an invitation?

We have sent invitations to approximately 1.5 million residents of the Netherlands, aged 18 and over to take part in the GGD Health Monitor 2024. Every resident in the Netherlands is registered with their municipality. CBS has selected people at random from this register to take part in this monitor. If you have received an invitation, you are one of these people. The selected persons together represent the total group of residents aged 18 and over in the municipality. Your name and address details will be used to send the invitation and any reminders to complete the questionnaire and to send your price in case you have won the price draw. This data will be erased three months after completion of the monitor.

Do I need to give permission somewhere for you to process my data?

No. By completing the questionnaire (and sending it, if you fill it in on paper), you agree to participate in the GGD Health Monitor 2024. We will remind you of this when you start the questionnaire. Note that you do not have to answer a certain question if you do not want to, you may adjust your answers, and you may stop filling in the questionnaire at any time. Your answers will be processed confidentially, will be stored safely and will not be shared with any party that is not named in the privacy statement. You can find the privacy statement on the website www.ggdzw.nl/gezondheidsmonitor2024.

If you complete the questionnaire online but decide to stop filling it in, any answers that you have already provided will be saved. Should you decide that you do not want your answers to be used in the monitor, we can erase your answers. For this, you can contact Ipsos I&O at NLhelpdeskGM@ipsos.com or on 0800 0191 (7 days a week, 09.00 – 21.00). Once you have provided your login details, Ipsos I&O will make sure that your answers are erased.

Do I have to participate in the monitor?

No, participation in the monitor is entirely voluntary, although we would very much appreciate it if you do take part. Your participation is important, because the results of the monitor will be used by the municipality to better align its policies and activities with the needs and requirements of its residents.

How can I participate?

You can fill in the questionnaire online or on paper, although online is quicker as you automatically skip the questions that do not apply to you. Moreover, the online questionnaire is available in English, the paper questionnaire is not. The invitation letter contains your personal login code; fill this in at www.startvragenlijst.nl/ggd to start the questionnaire.

Do you prefer to fill in the questionnaire on paper? Then wait to participate until you receive a paper questionnaire from us. Once you fill in the paper questionnaire, you can return it in the enclosed return envelope without a stamp.

How long does it take to fill in the questionnaire?

Some people are quicker than others, but it should take about 30 minutes.

I’m doing fine, so do I still need to fill in the questionnaire?

Yes, please! The aim of this monitor is to get a good idea of how everyone aged 18 and over in the municipality is doing, not just people who are not doing so well. If only these people fill in the questionnaire, it will look like there are a lot of problems in a municipality, even though this may not be the case for everyone.

Why have I received a reminder?

We send a reminder to make sure that as many people as possible complete the questionnaire. We use the login code or the code on the back of the paper questionnaire to work out who has not yet filled in the questionnaire. These people receive a reminder. You will therefore also receive a reminder if you have started to fill in the questionnaire but have not yet completed it. Note that all address data will be erased three months after completion of the monitor.

I have received a reminder, but I have already filled in the questionnaire. Why is that?

We probably received or processed your questionnaire after the reminders had already been sent. You do not need to contact Ipsos I&O or the GGD about this, and you can throw the reminder away. You may also have received a reminder if you have started to fill in the questionnaire but have not yet completed it. In this case, please carry on filling in the questionnaire and complete it. If you leave the questionnaire then log in again, you can continue where you left off.

I can’t log in, what should I do?    

Perhaps the Caps Lock is turned on or you have used capital letters in the login code when you should use small letters. You should type the address www.startvragenlijst.nl/ggd directly into the search window of your internet browser and not into a search engine (such as Google). If you are unable to log in, please contact Ipsos I&O at NLhelpdeskGM@ipsos.com or on 0800 0191 (7 days a week, 09.00 – 21.00).

I have lost my login code; can I get a new one?  

We cannot send a new login code, but you can wait for the reminder letter, which you will receive about three weeks after the invitation. This reminder contains the login code.

My computer has stopped working, now what?   

Do not worry if you are unable to carry on filling in the questionnaire because of a problem with your computer or because the page has timed out. You can simply log in again after ten minutes and carry on where you were (the system needs this time to recognise that you are no longer filling in the questionnaire). The answers that you have filled in so far will be saved automatically, so you don’t have to start the questionnaire again.

I stopped halfway, now what?

You can stop filling in the questionnaire at any time. You can then simply log in again and carry on where you were. The answers that you have filled in so far will be saved automatically, so you don’t have to start the questionnaire again.

I have lost the return envelope, now what?

You can send back the questionnaire in a normal envelope without a postage stamp.

Ipsos I&O
Antwoordnummer 90275
3009 VB Rotterdam

Is it possible to withdraw from the study after I have completed the questionnaire?

By completing the questionnaire, you agree to participate in the GGD Health Monitor 2024. Note that you do not have to answer a certain question if you do not want to, you may adjust your answers, and you may stop filling in the questionnaire at any time. If you want to stop halfway through and do not want the answers you have entered so far to be saved, you will have to go back through the questionnaire to delete your answers. An explanation of how to do this can be found at the start of the questionnaire. You can also contact Ipsos I&O to have your data deleted. This is possible until 8 December 2024. To do so, you can contact Ipsos I&O at NLhelpdeskGM@ipsos.com or on 0800 0191 (7 days a week, 09.00 – 21.00). Once you have provided your login details, Ipsos I&O will ensure that your answers are erased.

Can someone else complete the questionnaire for me?

No, it is important that the questionnaire is filled in by the person to whom the invitation was sent. Please therefore check that it is your name on the invitation letter. If this is not the case, please give the questionnaire to the person it is addressed to. People are selected to take part in the monitor at random, and the selected persons together provide an average representation of people in the whole of the municipality. Are you unable to complete the questionnaire on your own? If so, you can ask a family member or someone else to help, but you must fill in your answers. You can also contact Ipsos I&O at NLhelpdeskGM@ipsos.com or on 0800 0191 (7 days a week, 09.00 – 21.00) if you need help filling in the questionnaire.

Multiple people at my address or in my household have received an invitation. Do all of them need to fill in the questionnaire of is 1 sufficient?

We would like to ask everyone that received an invitation to fill in the questionnaire. The more people participate, the more valid the results of the survey are. So, it does not matter that more people at your address have received an invitation. It is important that the questionnaire is filled in by the person to whom the invitation was sent. Please therefore check that it is your name on the invitation letter.

Can I get help filling out the questionnaire?

Yes, a helpdesk employee can assist you with filling out the questionnaire. You can get assistance in various languages. You can call the helpdesk (Ipsos I&O) free of charge on 0800 0191 (7 days a week, 09.00 – 21.00).

Would you like to register for the GGD Health Panel?

GGD Zaanstreek-Waterland has a health panel. When you sign up for this health panel, you will receive a short questionnaire about health and health-related issues a few times a year. At the end of the questionnaire there is a link to the website of the GGD Zaanstreek-Waterland Health panel, were you can sign up for the panel by filling your personal details. This personal information cannot be linked to the answers provided in the questionnaire.  Your registration does not commit you to anything. At any point in time you may decide to withdraw your participation. Note that the panel is only available in Dutch.

What happens to the data that is collected?

The aim of the Health Monitor 2024 is to monitor the health of adults over a period of time. To enable comparisons to be made with this and previous monitors, we need to save the results. We have taken the required technical and organisational measures to ensure that the data is protected, and the data that we store will not contain any directly identifiable information.

Names and addresses are used by Ipsos I&O to send the invitations and reminders to complete the questionnaire, as well as to send prizes to the winners. This data cannot be linked to the answers provided in the questionnaire. Names and addresses will be erased three months after completion of the monitor.

What about privacy?

We will of course process your answers with the utmost care. Your privacy is protected as a participant in this study in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). This means that the collected data will be handled and processed in strict confidence.

We are not interested in information on individual persons. The research results will only present data on the total group of residents aged 18 and over or subgroups such as the elderly or young people. We will not present any results on individual persons, and your answers will therefore never be published.

Would you like to know more about how we handle the privacy of participants? Read our privacy statement at www.ggdzw.nl/gezondheidsmonitor2024.

How did you obtain my name and address?

Every resident in the Netherlands is registered with their municipality. Municipalities are required by law to provide official government agencies with information from the municipal population register. For the GGD Health Monitor 2024, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) received data from the municipal population register. Using this data, CBS selected people for participation in the GGD Health Monitor 2024 at random, who are therefore representative of the population. This group of residents has been sent an invitation to fill in the questionnaire.

How can you check whether I have filled in the questionnaire?

For the online questionnaire, the login code is registered so that the computer can see whether or not you have completed the questionnaire. For the paper copy of the questionnaire, a bar code is printed on every page, which is read by the computer. These bar codes and login codes are compared with the list of participants, based on which reminders are sent out. Note that all address data will be erased once the monitor has been completed.

Do other people know what I have filled in?

We only use your name and address to send the invitation and the reminders The data file containing the names and addresses is not linked to your answers and will be erased on completion of the monitor. The research results only describe the total group of residents aged 18 and over or subgroups such as the elderly or young people, and not individuals. Your individual answers will therefore not be published. Would you like to know more about how we handle the privacy of participants in this study? Read the privacy statement on the website www.ggdzw.nl/gezondheidsmonitor2024.

How is my privacy guaranteed when data is combined with other data?

The answers provided in this monitor will be combined with information sent to CBS by other organisations, such as data on income and population composition. As a result, the GGD can reduce the number of questions in the questionnaire. No persons can be identified in the aggregated information that GGDs receive from CBS. With the combined data, CBS can also weigh the results of the GGD Health Monitor. Weighing is necessary to ensure that the participants are a good reflection of the population. Population groups that participated relatively little are then counted more heavily in the results. Groups that have participated relatively often are counted less heavily.

Every participant is assigned a unique number, based on which the data is combined. This is an automated process in which no personal information such as name and address is used.

What happens with my data for the GGD Health Panel?

GGD Zaanstreek-Waterland has a health panel. This is a group of residents from the region who participate a few times a year in short digital surveys about health and issues that may affect it. After completing the questionnaire, you can sign up for our health panel by following the link and leaving your details. This data will not be linked to your answers to the GGD Health Monitor 2024. You do not commit to anything with your registration. You can decide not to participate at any time. You can unsubscribe by filling out the unsubscribe form on the panel website or by clicking the unsubscribe link in the emails about the panel you receive. Note that the panel is only available in Dutch.

Which topics does the questionnaire deal with?

The questionnaire deals with the following topics:

• General information: age, sex, household composition, education
• Health: perceived health, chronic disorders, long covid / post-covid
• Well-being: mental health, stress, resilience, control of one’s life
• Unpleasant incidents: unpleasant incidents at home
• Social contacts: loneliness, social support
• Lifestyle: height and weight, exercise, drinking and eating, sleeping and sitting
• Substance use: smoking, vaping, alcohol
• Participation: informal care, volunteer work, society membership, discrimination
• Negative thoughts: suicidal thoughts
• Living environment: noise pollution, sleep disturbance, odour pollution, nuisance from dust, soot or smoke, satisfaction with living environment, access to cooler areas during hot spells, safety
• Care and help: familiarity with facilities
• Work and financial situation: work, difficulties to make ends meet

 Are you 64 years or younger? The following topics are included in the questionnaire:

• Drug use
• Hearing damage

Are you 65 years or older? The following topics are included in the questionnaire:

• Limitations
• Falls
• Healthcare use
• Internet use
• Vitality

Why do you want to know my level of education?

Municipalities are interested in health differences between different groups of adults. This could show, for example, that more help is needed for certain groups. This is why the questionnaire contains a number of questions about your background, including your level of education.

I would like more information about one or more topics in the questionnaire, is that possible?

Yes, that is possible. If you fill in the questionnaire online, you will see a page at the end of the questionnaire listing websites where you can find more information on the topics in this questionnaire.

What will the monitor results be used for?

Municipalities will use the monitor results to develop health policy. Municipalities and the GGD may also use the results to organise specific activities to improve the health and well-being of local residents. Through cooperation with RIVM and CBS, the monitor will also provide information on the health of people in the Netherlands as a whole.

Where can I find the results of the monitor?

The monitor results will be published in mid-2025 on the CBS Statline, RIVM Statline, VZinfo (RIVM) and the GGD Zaanstreek-Waterland data website. The results will only present data relating to the whole group of participants aged 18 and over or subgroups, such as the elderly or young people. We will not present any results relating to individual persons, and your answers will therefore not be published.

Will I also be informed of the monitor results?

No, it is not possible to inform the participants of the results, as the addresses of the participants will be erased 3 months after completion of the study. The monitor results will be published in mid-2025 on CBS Statline, RIVM Statline, VZinfo (RIVM) and the GGD Zaanstreek-Waterland website.

I cannot or do not want to participate.

It is possible that you cannot or do not want to fill in the questionnaire. In this case, please send an email to NLhelpdeskGM@ipsos.com stating your login code, which you will find in the invitation letter, or your address. You may also call 0800 0191 (7 days a week, 09.00 – 21.00).

I have started but do not want to finish the questionnaire.

You do not have to answer a certain question if you do not want to, you may adjust your answers, and you may stop filling in the questionnaire at any time. If you stop filling in the questionnaire, any answers that you have already provided will be saved. Should you decide that you do not want your answers to be used in the study, we can erase your answers. This is possible until 8 December 2024. To do so, you can contact Ipsos I&O at NLhelpdeskGM@ipsos.com or on 0800 0191 (7 days a week, 09.00 – 21.00). Once you have provided your login details, Ipsos I&O will make sure that your answers are erased.

The person to whom the letter is addressed does not live at this address.

Despite the care taken to ensure that the addresses are correct, you may have received an invitation for someone who no longer lives at your address. To ensure that the GGD does not send you any further reminders, please inform us of this by sending an email to NLhelpdeskGM@ipsos.com. Please include the login code, which you will find in the invitation letter, or the address. You may also call 0800 0191 (7 days a week, 09.00 – 21.00).

The person to whom the letter is addressed is unable to fill in the questionnaire.

If the person to whom the letter is addressed is unable to fill in the questionnaire, for example due to illness, you may not want this person to continue to receive reminders. Would you please inform us of this by sending an email to NLhelpdeskGM@ipsos.com? Please include the login code, which you will find in the invitation letter, or the address. You may also call 0800 0191 (7 days a week, 09.00 – 21.00).

The person to whom the letter is addressed is not currently at this address.

The questionnaire can be completed until 8 December 2024. If the person to whom the letter is addressed will return before this date, they may still be able to fill in the questionnaire. If they will not return before this date, would you please inform us of this by sending an email to NLhelpdeskGM@ipsos.com? Please include the login code, which you will find in the invitation letter, or the address. You may also call 0800 0191 (7 days a week, 09.00 – 21.00).

The person to whom the letter is addressed has died.

Despite the care taken to ensure that the addresses are correct, you may have received an invitation letter for someone who has died. In this case, please accept our sincere apologies. To make sure that the GGD does not send reminders, would you please inform us of this by sending an email to NLhelpdeskGM@ipsos.com? Please include the login code, which you will find in the invitation letter, or the address. You may also call 0800 0191 (7 days a week, 09.00 – 21.00).

I do not want to receive any more post from you.

It is possible that you cannot or do not want to fill in the questionnaire of the GGD Health Monitor. Please inform us of this by sending an email to NLhelpdeskGM@ipsos.com. Please include your login code, which you will find in the invitation letter, or your address. You may also call 0800 0191 (7 days a week, 09.00 – 21.00). If you do not want the GGD to contact you for other future studies, please inform your municipality of this, as we have obtained your name and address from the personal records database (BRP).

Do I have a chance to win a reward by participating?

Anyone who participates and has completed the questionnaire (via the internet or on paper) has a chance to win one of the gift cards worth 10 euros. The chance of winning is 1 out of 20. This means every 20^th participant wins. At the end of the questionnaire, you can indicate whether you want to participate in the prize draw. You can also indicate which gift card you would like to win. You can choose from a bol.com gift card, a VVV gift card or a ‘Keuze’ (choice) gift card. If you have won a gift card, we will send it to you by post. We use your name and address details from the sample for this purpose. Ipsos I&O will draw the prize winners of the gift cards in January 2025. If you do not hear from us, you are not one of the winners.

When will I know if I have won a gift card?

Ipsos I&O will draw prize winners in January 2025. If you are one of the winners, the gift card will be sent to you by post after the prize draw. We use your name and address details from the sample for this purpose. If you do not hear anything, you are unfortunately not one of the winners.

I have won a gift card. How can I redeem it?

The method of redemption varies depending on the gift card. Please refer to the providers’ websites for details:

• com gift card: bol.com, redeem your gift card.
• VVV gift card: the VVV gift can be used physically or online at over 18.000 places (you can see where you can use the gift card here: VVV gift card spending points).
• Keuze (choice) gift card: on the Keuze gift card website, you can exchange the gift card for another gift card of your choice or donate it to charity. More information can be found here: How to redeem my Keuze gift card?.

Who can I approach with a complaint or comment?

When you have a complaint or comment about the GGD Health Monitor, you can contact GGD Zaanstreek-Waterland by e-mail: onderzoek@ggdzw.nl.

As a result of this questionnaire I would like some more information. Where can I go?

This questionnaire about your health, lifestyle, well-being and living conditions may have raised some questions. We would like to help you find reliable information:

• You can find reliable information on health, lifestyle and illnesses at thuisarts.nl.
• Complete the test on mijnpositievegezondheid.nl to find out what you can do to improve your physical and mental health.
• You can find an overview of reliable apps and websites that you can use right away at ggdappstore.nl.
• Information about health can be found on the website of GGD Zaanstreek-Waterland (www.ggdzw.nl).
• For support and facilities in your local area, please go to the municipality website.
• If you are concerned about your health, please contact your GP.