Accuracy and reliability

Overall accuracy

The statistics include all children and young people who have had their height and weight measured at school in connection with the statutory introductory schooling and school-leaving examinations and are thus a good measure of overweight among the target population of 6-7-year-old children and 14-15-year-old young people.

However, there is not full coverage among the birth cohorts that should have complete information, and it is important to be aware that the coverage may vary considerably between different birth cohorts and municipalities.

For more detailed information on the accuracy of the source data, please refer to the documentation of the respective statistics.

Sampling error

Not relevant for these statistics.

Non-sampling error

The statistics' frame population includes all children and young people who have had their height and weight measured at school in connection with the statutory introductory schooling and school-leaving examinations since 2012. Among the birth cohorts that should have complete information, the average coverage is 89% among the 6-7-year-olds and 70% among the 14-15-year-olds. Previously published reports have not found differences in the characteristics of the children and young people who have had their height and weight measured at school and other children and young people in the same age groups - see, for instance, the analysis Inequality in child obesity in Denmark.

Measurement errors in the population's height and weight are likely. Since the introductory schooling and school-leaving examinations are carried out by a nurse, possibly a school doctor, it is assumed that measurement errors are due to random misregistrations.

There is no non-response.

Quality management

Statistics Denmark follows the recommendations on organisation and management of quality given in the Code of Practice for European Statistics (CoP) and the implementation guidelines given in the Quality Assurance Framework of the European Statistical System (QAF). A Working Group on Quality and a central quality assurance function have been established to continuously carry through control of products and processes.

Quality assurance

Statistics Denmark follows the principles in the Code of Practice for European Statistics (CoP) and uses the Quality Assurance Framework of the European Statistical System (QAF) for the implementation of the principles. This involves continuous decentralized and central control of products and processes based on documentation following international standards. The central quality assurance function reports to the Working Group on Quality. Reports include suggestions for improvement that are assessed, decided and subsequently implemented.

Quality assessment

The source data for the statistics come from the National Child Health Register administered by the Danish Health Data Authority and the population statistics. Detailed descriptions of the quality of the source data can be found in the statistical documentation of these statistics.

Efforts are being made to improve the timeliness of the statistics, as Statistics Denmark currently only has information on overweight among children through 2018. Updated information from the National Child Health Register would improve the timeliness considerably.

These statistics have been developed based on current methods.

Data revision - policy

Statistics Denmark revises published figures in accordance with the Revision Policy for Statistics Denmark. The common procedures and principles of the Revision Policy are for some statistics supplemented by a specific revision practice.

Data revision practice

The statistics only publish final figures. Since these are completely new statistics, no revisions have currently been made.