Surveys used to assess the population health and to inform healthy public policy: challenges for research in poor countries

Extract: In this editorial note, I would like to attract the readers’ attention to the particular challenges researchers in poor countries face as reflected in the results of population surveys in these countries and illustrated by the papers in this issue. I also hope to invite the readers to the debate about the possible solutions for these typical problems and to share my understanding of the input that TCPHEE journal intends to make in order to overcome the ‘social disparity gap’ between public health researchers in rich and poor countries. In addressing these issues I face the dilemma of choosing between too much explanation for the advanced researchers and too little for the novice ones, but I hope that headings will help the reader to decide where to read and what to skip.