EURO-URHIS 2 aimed to collect comparable health indicators across a large number of urban areas (UAs) across Europe and Vietnam using four data collection tools. This paper outlines the process for the selection of indicators to be collected from routinely available sources, and the piloting of the data collection tool. A long-list of indicators potentially collectable from routinely available sources was generated by the EURO-URHIS 2 consortium. Key contacts from each UA completed an e-mail survey reporting for each indicator whether it could be collected using the given definition, an alternative definition or not at all. Additionally participants listed the 20 leading causes of death for their UAs from the Eurostat 65. Results were compiled to inform indicator selection for the main data collection phase. Responses were received for 25 of 28 eligible UAs. Of the 29 proposed indicators, 55.1% ( n = 16) were accepted without change, 24.1% ( n = 7) were re-allocated to other data collection tools and 17.2% ( n = 5) were accepted after a modification of the EURO-URHIS 2 definition. This scoping exercise and piloting phase for the 'existing data tool' for the project was useful and informative. It provided detailed information on what could be collected, and an opportunity to modify indicator definitions to maximize response rates. These results are only applicable to those UAs returning results and cannot be generalized. Detailed interrogation of definitions is essential to this sort of data collection, and the process described was designed with cross-national comparability in mind.
© The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.