Conducting a national representative cross-sectional study with limited resources : lessons learned from a study in the small European state of Malta

Abstract

A cross-sectional study collects information at one point in time (in a defined population) and can provide both descriptive and analytic information. Repeating cross-sectional randomized studies at population level every couple of years provides valuable health information on trends in exposures and outcomes. This case study focuses on the process of conducting, with limited resources, a cross-sectional study that is representative of the adult population of Malta, with the aim to determine the burden of type 2 diabetes and dysglycemia within the adult population. It discusses challenges faced and lessons learned, including establishing better response rates, limiting information bias, and working with a small group of trained fieldworkers.