Measuring Coverage in MNCH: Tracking Progress in Health for Women and Children Using DHS and MICS Household Surveys

Hancioglu, Attila; Arnold, Fred

doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001391

Cited by 204 publications

(219 citation statements)

References 18 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

212

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Within each province, a number of PSUs are selected. These units typically encompass one or a few villages, or part of a town (Hancioglu and Arnold 2013). On average, about 25 households are randomly selected in each primary sampling unit, and women of reproductive age in the household are interviewed (Aliaga and Ren 2006;ICF International 2012).…”

Section: Variables and Measurementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing sex differentials in under-five mortality in sub-Saharan Africa: A cross-national comparative analysis

Boco

2015

CSP

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper investigates and compares country-specific sex differentials in childhood mortality in thirty sub-Saharan African countries. Data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) were analyzed to assess sex differentials in U5M rates before and after adjustment for individual, household, and community-level factors, using multilevel discrete-time hazard models. The findings show a systematically higher mortality for male children compared to female in all countries except Sierra Leone and Swaziland. The relationship is significant in nineteen of the thirty countries. Across the region, males have 17-54 per cent higher odds of dying before age five. These patterns remained when controls were added for individual and community-level factors, as well as unobserved community-level effects.

show abstract

Section: Variables and Measurementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing sex differentials in under-five mortality in sub-Saharan Africa: A cross-national comparative analysis

Boco

2015

CSP

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Selection bias affects DHS and MICS estimates because the surveys may under-represent insecure areas and slum-dwelling populations, and by design they omit parts of the population (people who are more likely to be at risk of undernutrition) such as the homeless, refugees, nomadic people, and those living in residential care facilities, longstay hospitals or orphanages (9)(10)(11) . Moreover, in the case of nutritional analysis, a coverage bias occurs because children without a 'valid date of birth -month and year' have a zero probability of selection.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Birth registration and child undernutrition in sub-Saharan Africa

Comandini

Cabras

Marini

2015

Public Health Nutr.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective: In many countries of the world millions of people are not registered at birth. However, in order to assess children's nutritional status it is necessary to have an exact knowledge of their age. In the present paper we discuss the effects of insufficient or imprecise age data on estimates of undernutrition prevalence. Design: Birth registration rates and levels of stunting, underweight and wasting were retrieved from Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys and Demographic and Health Surveys of thirty-seven sub-Saharan African countries, considering the subdivision in wealth quintiles. The composition of the cross-sectional sample used for nutritional evaluation was analysed using a permutation test. Logistic regression was applied to analyse the relationship between birth registration and undernutrition. The 95 % probability intervals and Student's t test were used to evaluate the effect of age bias and error. Results: Heterogeneous sampling designs were detected among countries, with different percentages of children selected for anthropometry. Further, registered children were slightly more represented within samples used for nutritional analysis than in the total sample. A negative relationship between birth registration and undernutrition was recognized, with registered children showing a better nutritional status than unregistered ones, even within each wealth quintile. The over-or underestimation of undernutrition in the case of systematic over-or underestimation of age, respectively, the latter being more probable, was quantified up to 28 %. Age imprecision was shown to slightly overestimate undernutrition. Conclusions: Selection bias towards registered children and underestimation of children's age can lead to an underestimation of the prevalence of undernutrition.

show abstract

“…The types of data, the approaches used to collect them and the frequency of collection, depend on the administrative level. Nationally representative surveys are usually undertaken every 4 to 5 years by the USAID-supported Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and the UNICEF-supported Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), while a few countries have mounted their own nationally representative surveys, usually based on versions of the DHS and MICS protocols [65]. Household consumption and expenditure surveys (HCESs) contain a great deal of information about food acquisition and consumption and are undertaken every 3-5 years in more than 125 countries [66].…”

Section: Development Of Nutrition Surveillancementioning

confidence: 99%

A perspective on the development and sustainability of nutrition surveillance in low-income countries

Tuffrey

2016

BMC Nutr

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Many varied activities are encompassed by the term "nutrition(al) surveillance". Several national surveillance systems were initiated soon after the World Food Conference in 1974, but few have lasted. Most were complex, expensive, slow to produce findings, and were eventually stopped. This paper discusses why nutrition surveillance in low-income countries is so hard to sustain, and identifies the key factors in systems which have been maintained. Discussion: For nutrition surveillance activities to be sustainable, there needs to be: demand for the information; a reasonable cost as well as a cost-efficient process; speedy generation and dissemination of good quality information; secure allocation of resources from the government and/or donor; and a central, organizing institution for strong coordination of data collection, analysis, interpretation and communication. Investment in local individual and institutional capacity plus the retention of experienced staff are important. A periodic evaluation of the process should be an integral part of surveillance activities. For national systems the ideal coordinating institution should sit within a government structure separate from those with direct involvement in health or agriculture, such as a ministry of planning, as those who lead the surveillance must be independent of decision-makers but need to understand and prioritise their needs for information. The findings need to be communicated clearly and the means of presentation adapted to different audiences. To promote participation, the findings should be shared with stakeholders at all levels. Summary: This review of the development of nutrition surveillance in low-income countries over the last 40 years finds that sustainability hinges on cost, capacity development, location of the institutional base, demand for the products, and participation. These considerations are noteworthy given the pivotal role of nutrition surveillance information in national and sub-national policy-making, planning and programming. Information from nutrition surveillance also provides an increasingly important mechanism to hold governments to account and to allow progress towards international targets to be tracked.

show abstract

Measuring Coverage in MNCH: Tracking Progress in Health for Women and Children Using DHS and MICS Household Surveys

Cited by 204 publications

References 18 publications

Assessing sex differentials in under-five mortality in sub-Saharan Africa: A cross-national comparative analysis

Assessing sex differentials in under-five mortality in sub-Saharan Africa: A cross-national comparative analysis

Birth registration and child undernutrition in sub-Saharan Africa

A perspective on the development and sustainability of nutrition surveillance in low-income countries

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About