For the Public

+ What is RRFSS?

The Rapid Risk Factor Surveillance System, or RRFSS, is a group of health agencies that are collecting information about health-related behaviours among Ontario adults 18 years of age and over. Participants will be asked questions about smoking, physical activity, alcohol use, immunizations and other important health issues.

+ What is the purpose of RRFSS?

The purpose of RRFSS is to provide timely, useful information to help plan local public health programs and services. We need to learn more about the opinions and behaviours of Ontarians so that we can improve the health of our communities.

+ Is this survey being conducted in my area?

See the list of current members.

+ How did you get my telephone number?

Your number was selected randomly using a computer program. The computer creates a series of ten-digit numbers for us to call and, as a result, we have no idea who we are calling. Sometimes we reach businesses, unlisted numbers or numbers that are not in service. We generate telephone numbers in this way to make sure the people we call are a random sample of the population and also to protect the confidentiality of people we interview.

+ Who will be interviewing me?

Trained telephone interviewers from the Institute for Social Research at York University will call and ask you to participate in the survey on behalf of your local Health Unit.

+ Why do you ask which person in my household will have the next birthday?

In order for our survey to be truly random, we cannot just speak with the first person who answers the telephone. By asking to interview the person who will have the next birthday, we give everyone an equal chance to be selected since anyone living in the household might have the next birthday.

+ Do I have to participate?

Your participation in this survey is completely voluntary, but your participation will be helpful. Your individual information will remain confidential and anonymous. You can refuse to answer any questions if you are not comfortable with them.

+ Why talk to me? I don't know anything about these topics.

We are trying to get people’s experiences and opinions. There are no right or wrong answers. You do not have to answer any questions you do not want to but your opinions are very important to us. We think that you will find that the questions are straightforward and most of them have multiple choice answers.

+ How long will it take me to answer all of the questions?

The length of the survey varies depending on your health unit, but typically ranges from 10-20 minutes.

+ Has the survey been approved?

Yes, the RRFSS survey has been reviewed and approved by the Research Ethics Committee at York University . If you have any questions please contact Alison Collins-Mrakas at 416-736-5914.

+ Who will see this information?

The information collected in this survey will be used by your local health unit to plan programs and activities. We can assure you that all of the information you provide, including your answers and any other information, will remain completely confidential. Only researchers closely involved with the project examine the findings and they do not look at individual responses but rather group responses, for example, what percentage of people agreed or disagreed with a particular statement.Participants’ names or phone numbers are never included when the results are released so there is no way that you would be identified as a participant in the survey. Health Units may use this information to write reports, which may be available on your Health Unit website or the RRFSS website (www.rrfss.ca). In no way will the reports identify any person.

+ Who do I contact for more information?

If you have any questions about the survey, you can contact the Institute for Social Research toll-free at 1-888-847-0148, or Lynne Russell, RRFSS Coordinator at lynnerussell@rrfss.ca.