Family Health Survey 1999
Belize, 1999
Identification
BLZ_1999_FHS_v01_M
Family Health Survey 1999
| Name | Country code |
|---|---|
| Belize | BLZ |
Other Household Health Survey [hh/hea]
The main objectives of the 1999 Family Health Survey - Females of Belize are to have an updated database for urgent use in decisions related to family health. More specifically, the survey will provide urgently needed information on fertility of females, infant and child mortality, family practices, and the use of maternal and child health services in Belize.
The main objectives of the 1999 Family Health Survey of Belizean males are to have an updated database for urgent use in decisions related to male family health. More specifically, the survey will provide urgently needed information on fertility of males, family practices, male attitudes towards various related health issues such as HIV/AIDS and other STIs and other reproductive health issues. There presently exists a dire need for data on male Reproductive Health, among others, and an FHS at this time would meet many of these urgent needs. The major users of the results of this survey will include the Ministry of Health, the BFLA and the Ministries of Human and Economic Development.
Sample survey data [ssd]
Coverage
The survey covered all areas in Belize excluding the Mennonite communities and therefore allows for comparisons between districts as well as between urban and rural areas.
Females survey:
The survey carried out in 1999 was of females aged 15 to 49 years. This is similar to the survey done in 1991. In both surveys, a scientifically selected sample of women was used. In the 1999 survey, 4,164 women were selected in the final sample from all six (6) districts of the country.
Males survey:
The survey carried out in 1999 was of males aged 15 to 64 years, and is the first such survey to be carried out in the country. Hence, very little comparison can be made. A scientific sample of men between the above ages was used. This sample was representative of all six (6) districts of the country. An interview was done with each selected male in the survey and this provided information on a broad cross section of topics. Some of these topics included the birth history of the man, contraceptive knowledge and use, knowledge of STIs including HIV/AIDS, and behavioural risks. In order to enrich the analysis, basic social and economic characteristics like educational level and employment status were also collected.
Producers and sponsors
| Name |
|---|
| Central Statistical Office (CSO) |
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Ministry of Health | |
| Centers for Disease Control | Support to data analysis |
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Caribbean Development Bank | Main sponsor |
| United nations Children Fnd | Funding agency of the Male survey |
Sampling
FEMALE SURVEY:
The sample finally used was a scientific sample, and was selected as follows. The survey sought to interview 3,500 women between the ages of 13 and 49 years i.e. in their childbearing age. It was expected to interview only one eligible female per household even if there was more than one eligible respondent. Preliminary investigations revealed that, to achieve an objective of 3,500 interviews, it would be necessary to target some 6,700 households. It was also necessary to analyse the data at the district and urban/rural levels.
Allowing for a non-response rate of 10% meant that about 7,400 households would have to be selected. The estimated number of households in the country at the time was 46,648. Hence, a sampling fraction of 1/6 was estimated to be necessary to obtain this number of households. To achieve the above, the total number of households in the country was broken up into clusters of approximately 38 households and distributed proportionately among the districts. This resulted in 1,200 clusters being formed for the country. Of this, 1/6 or 200 clusters were selected to be interviewed. This yielded approximately 7,600 households, which is well over the minimum of 7,400 needed to obtain 3,500 successful interviews. It turned out that 4,164 successful interviews were completed, taking into account non-contacts and refusals.
MALE SURVEY:
The sample finally used was a scientific sample, and was selected as follows. The survey sought to interview 2,000 men between the ages of 13 and 64 years. It was expected to interview only one eligible male per household even if there was more than one eligible respondent. Preliminary investigations revealed that to achieve an objective of 2,000 interviews, it would be necessary to target some 2,670 households. It was also necessary to analyze the data at the district and urban/rural levels. Allowing for a non-response rate of 10% meant that about 2,940 households would have to be selected. The estimated number of households in the country at the time was 45,455, excluding the Mennonite settlements of Little Belize in the Corozal District, Blue Creek and Shipyard in Orange Walk and Spanish Lookout in the Cayo District. Hence, a sampling fraction of 1/15 was estimated to be necessary to obtain this number of households.
To achieve the above, the total number of households in the country was broken up into clusters of approximately 30 households and distributed proportionately among the districts. This resulted in 1,524 clusters being formed for the country. Of this, 1/15 or 98 clusters were selected to be interviewed. This yielded approximately 2,940 households which is the minimum needed to obtain 2,000 successful interviews. It turned out that only 1,773 successful interviews were completed, taking into account non-contacts and refusals.
Survey instrument
From the outset, it was realized that efforts must be exerted to update the 1991 survey as a minimum. However, it was strongly felt that some expansion of depth, if not scope, could also be done. A preparatory committee comprising representation from the Ministry of Health, the BFLA, UNICEF and the CSO was established, and one of this committee's first tasks was to put together a suitable questionnaire to collect the required information. Contacts with the CDC through the person of Dr. Paul Stupp and with Mr. Stan Terrel of the regional programme on HIV/AIDS were extremely beneficial in guiding the discussions on the final questionnaire. These two gentlemen provided samples of both males and females questionnaires which enriched the committee's deliberations, and afforded a hybrid questionnaire in the end, tailored to meet the needs of Belize. The final questionnaire was then translated into Spanish, the second language of Belize. Spanish-speaking interviewers administered the questionnaire in Spanish among the respondents who preferred to be interviewed in this language.
Data collection
| Start | End | Cycle |
|---|---|---|
| 1999-10-30 | 1999-12 | Female survey |
| 1999-11-15 | 1999-12 | Male survey |
FEMALE SURVEY:
From the beginning, it was decided that only female interviewers would be used for the Family Health Survey of females. These interviewers were centrally trained over a period of four days, i.e. 23-26 October, 1999, on the female questionnaire. The CSO staff was responsible for the training, and this team comprised a Senior Statistician and another Statistician. These two officers were supported by the regional consultant, who was in country for the training. These lead trainers were assisted in administrative and logistical matters by a Statistician (Ag.), two Statistical Officers and two Statistical Assistants. Their task included matters such as venue preparations, hotel arrangements for interviewers, payments to trainees and eventually to the fieldstaff, distribution of training materials as well as other administrative and logistical matters. Personnel trained included the six District Supervisors, who form a part of the permanent staff of the CSO and who are each based in one of Belize's six administrative areas. These officers are also charged with the responsibility for recruitment of field supervisors, interviewers and editors in their particular district. In addition, other personnel trained included one Assistant District Supervisor who was hired specifically for the survey, seven (7) Field Supervisors, sixty one (61) Interviewers and seven (7) Editors.
The first morning of the training session was dedicated to administrative matters dealing with payments and roles of different survey personnel, as well as to general survey topics such as interviewing techniques and procedures and concepts and definitions. Following this, the various sections of the questionnaire were timetabled over the remaining days, leaving adequate time at the end for paired interviews, mock interviews, as well as some live interviews in the field.
The fieldwork for the female Family Health Survey started on schedule on October 30, 1999, and was to last for five (5) weeks. A pilot survey had been done prior to the main fieldwork, and from this pilot, some changes to the questionnaire were incorporated, and some logistics were corrected. The administration of the fieldwork was similar to the administration of all of the CSO's household surveys, with the staff from headquarters liasing directly with the District Supervisor. This officer, in turn, had at least one Field Supervisor assisting him with the implementation of the fieldwork at the district level. In the case of the Belize District, however, because of the population size of this district, a headquarter staff member was assigned on a full time basis to assist the District Supervisor, who also had assistance from at least three (3) Field Supervisors. A very important task of the Field Supervisor, in addition to his task of correcting, guiding and training of his interviewers to carry out the work, was to do some sample re-interviews of households already interviewed by the interviewers. This helps greatly in enhancing a higher quality of information collected. The District Supervisor was also required to do sample re-interviews, and was the manager of all the operations at the district level.
MALE SURVEY:
From the beginning, it was decided that only female interviewers would be used for the Family Health Survey of females and males for the male survey. These interviewers were centrally trained over a period of three days, i.e. 12-14 November, 1999, on the male questionnaire. The staff of the CSO was responsible for the training, and this team comprised a senior Statistician and one other Statistician. These lead trainers were assisted in administrative and logistical matters by a Statistician (Ag.), two Statistical Officers and two Statistical Assistants. Their task included matters such as venue preparations, hotel arrangements for interviewers, payments to trainees and eventually to the fieldstaff, distribution of training materials as well as other administrative and logistical matters.
Personnel trained included the six District Supervisors, who form part of the permanent staff of the CSO and each of whom is based in one of Belize's six administrative areas. These officers are also charged with the responsibility for the recruitment of field supervisors, interviewers and editors in their particular district. In addition, other officers trained included one Assistant District Supervisor who was hired specifically for the survey, seven (7) Field Supervisors, sixty one (61) Interviewers and seven (7) Editors. The first morning of the training session was dedicated to administrative matters dealing with payments and roles of different survey personnel, as well as to general survey topics such as interviewing techniques and procedures, and concepts and definitions. Following this, the various sections of the questionnaire were timetabled over remaining days, leaving adequate time at the end for paired interviews, mock interviews, as well as some live interviews in the field.
The fieldwork for the male Family Health Survey started as scheduled on November 15, 1999, and was to last for four (4) weeks. A pilot survey had been done prior to the main fieldwork, and from this pilot, some changes to the questionnaire were incorporated, and some logistics were corrected. The administration of the fieldwork was similar to the administration of all of the CSO's household surveys with staff from the headquarter liasing directly with the District Supervisors. This District Supervisor, in turn, has at least one Field Supervisor assisting him with the implementation of the fieldwork at the district level. In the case of the Belize District however, because of population size, a staff member from headquarters was assigned on a full time basis to assist the District Supervisor, who also had assistance from at least three (3) Field Supervisors. A very important task of the Field Supervisor, in addition to his task of correcting, guiding and training of his interviewers to carry out the work, was to do sample re-interviews of households already interviewed by the interviewers. This helps greatly in enhancing a higher quality of information collected. The District Supervisor was also required to do sample re-interviews, and was the manager of all the operations at the district level.
Disclaimer and copyrights
The user of the data acknowledges that the original collector of the data, the authorized distributor of the data, and the relevant funding agency bear no responsibility for use of the data or for interpretations or inferences based upon such uses.
Metadata production
DDI_BLZ_1999_FHS_v01_M_WBDG