One hundred fifty (150) women from each of the 80 neighbourhoods were randomly selected from the electoral roll. As voting is compulsory for Australian adults, the electoral roll provides a relatively complete record of population **data** in Australian residents aged 18 years and over. Where there were fewer than 150 women living in the neighbourhood (n = 3 neighbourhoods), all those who were eligible were invited to participate. A T1 self-report survey was mailed to an initial sample of 11940 women between August 2007 and January 2008. The survey assessed women's physical activity, eating behaviours, height and weight, and a broad range of factors thought to influence these behaviours and obesity risk. A reminder protocol [35] was employed whereby letters were sent to nonresponders 10 days after the initial survey package was mailed. A second reminder letter followed including another copy of the survey after a further 10 days. The surveys were initially pilot-tested with a convenience sample of 32 women aged 18 to 46 years and minor modifications were made for clarity based on the feedback received.