Dear Householder

La Trobe University and the University of New South Wales have been funded by The National Health and Medical Research Council to undertake the Australian Longitudinal Study of Health and Relationships. This is a study of sexual and reproductive health behaviours and attitudes.

This letter is to tell you that your household has been randomly selected to take part in this important study, and to expect a telephone call from an interviewer in about two weeks. Interviews are being conducted by the Hunter Valley Research Foundation (HVRF) on behalf of the Universities. The HVRF is a not-for-profit research organisation specialising in health interviewing. For the purpose of this study any member of the household aged between 16 and 64 and proficient in English may be invited to take part. (It is too expensive to translate the questionnaire into many languages.)

Please show this letter to all eligible members within your household. The study will be conducted entirely over the telephone and the strictest level of confidentiality will apply to all aspects of the study.

How did you choose my household?

Your telephone number was randomly dialled by the HVRF.

How will I know that the interviewer is the right one?

You may expect the telephone interviewer to say she is calling on behalf of La Trobe University and the University of New South Wales. The interviewers have been especially trained for this study. To confirm that the call is legitimate or discuss any concerns about the interview please call the interviewer’s supervisor freecall 1800 355 534.

If you have concerns about the study or wish to find out more information, visit the website http://www.latrobe.edu.au/alshr or freecall 1800 664 409.

IF YOU ARE INVITED TO COMPLETE AN INTERVIEW (household members aged 16 to 64)

How long will it take?

The telephone interview will take at least 20 minutes. It is recommended that the interview be conducted in a private place. The interview will be conducted at a time convenient to the person selected.

What questions will be asked?

The interview includes questions about age, education, employment, relationships, sexual and reproductive history, behaviour and attitudes, and health and well-being.

Do I need to do this at all?

Participation is entirely voluntary. It is possible that some questions might embarrass you or make you uncomfortable. You are free to skip any question or stop the interview at any time. If you are distressed by any question, you can be provided with a referral to an information or counselling service. However, your participation will contribute to better information about the sexual and reproductive health behaviour of all Australians; currently there is limited information on these areas of Australian life.

But I do not have anything interesting to tell you

Every person is unique. If only the people who feel they are ‘interesting’ respond, we will get a very misleading picture of what Australians are like.

I was not born in Australia, or, I am not an Australian

We are interested in building a complete picture of everyone who lives in Australia. Your contribution is important.

Concerns about confidentiality

All information will be stored in secure, confidential computer files for 5 years. At the end of the interview the HVRF interviewer may invite you to participate in the follow up stage of the research. If you agree, you will be asked for your name and some contact details. In addition, you may be asked for the listed telephone numbers of two people who could contact you if you change telephone numbers. You do not have to provide this information however it could help us contact you for the follow up research. In attempting to contact you we would not mention the study’s name or subject matter to any other person. The HVRF will NOT forward your name or any contact details to the Universities. Both the HVRF and the Universities are required to comply with Privacy Legislation and confidentiality of all information provided will be maintained except where required by law.

If you complete an interview or provide contact details and later wish to modify or delete any information you have provided, you may call freecall 1800 355 534 or send an e-mail to alshr@hvrf.com.au or write to the Privacy Officer, Hunter Valley Research Foundation, PO Box 3023, Hamilton DC 2303 describing the correction or deletion you wish to have made.

La Trobe University and the University of New South Wales respect the privacy of your information. In providing us with your contact details, we only use contact details voluntarily provided by you for the purpose of making subsequent contact. These details will not be used or disclosed for any other purpose. Data obtained from your responses to interview questions is maintained separately to all contact details provided, ensuring that your interview data will be de-identified. Any questions you have concerning collection and maintenance of your contact details can be directed to freecall 1800 355 534.

Further information

Any questions regarding this project may be directed to the Chief Investigator, Associate Professor Anthony Smith, of the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society at alshr@latrobe.edu.au If you have any complaints or queries that the investigator has not been able to answer to your satisfaction, you may contact the Ethics Liaison Officer, Human Ethics Committee, La Trobe University, Victoria, 3086, by telephone on 03 9479 1443, or by e-mail at humanethics@latrobe.edu.au

Thank you for reading this letter, we hope you will be able to contribute to this study.