The STEPS Noncommunicable Disease Risk Factors Survey uses a survey methodology developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) to help countries establish noncommunicable disease surveillance systems. The methodology prescribes three steps—questionnaire, physical measurements, and biochemical measurements. Core topics covered by most surveys are demographics, health status, and health behaviors. These provide data on socioeconomic risk factors and metabolic, nutritional, and lifestyle risk factors. Details may differ from country to country and from year to year.

For the survey, data was collected from 1,195 respondents in STEP 1 (face-to-face interview), 1,147 respondents in STEP 2 (physical measurements) and 467 respondents in STEP 3 (biochemical measurements).