Survey ID Number
ALB_2008_DHS_v01_M
Title
Demographic and Health Survey 2008-2009
Data Collection Notes
Fieldwork training was conducted between 1 October and 24 October, 2008 in Durres. A total 82 trainees (47 female and 35 male trainees) took part in the main survey training. IPH and INSTAT selected the trainees from a large pool of approximately 200 candidates. The trainees were recruited on the basis of their education, prior experience as interviewers or supervisors in other household surveys, interest and ability to work with PDAs, any other related experience and their performance during the selection interview. Trainees were divided into two classrooms due to the large number of trainees; the second group received the same training as the first group and from the same trainer, but with a half day delay. Interviewer training was conducted mostly in Albanian by a team of trainers. The training team consisted of two consultants from ICF Macro and staff from INSTAT and IPH. Several guest lecturers from the Ministry of Health and IPH made presentations on Albania’s family planning, maternal and child health, and HIV/AIDS programmes. All participants were trained on interviewing techniques and the content of the ADHS questionnaires. In addition, participants were also trained to conduct anthropometry measurements, perform haemoglobin testing, and take blood pressure measurements.
The training was conducted following the standard DHS training procedures, including class presentations, mock interviews, and written tests. All of the participants were trained on how to complete the Household Questionnaire, the Women’s Questionnaire and the Men’s Questionnaire. The training first focused on a particular module of the questionnaire using the paper questionnaire, covering the details of the subject matter and data collection issues, and explaining how to comp lete the questionnaire on paper. This was followed by training on the same module using the PDA, with mock interviews, one-on-one interviews, and small group practices.
In addition to in-class training, participants practiced taking anthropometric measures and conducting anaemia testing on children at local kindergartens. Trainees also conducted three rounds of field practice to gain more experience in interviewing, anthropometry, anaemia and blood pressure measurements, and fieldwork logistics and team dynamics. While both female and male interviewers interviewed respondents for the Household Questionnaire, only female interviewers interviewed women eligible for the Women’s Questionnaire and only male interviewers interviewed men eligible for the Men’s Questionnaire. Participants selected as field supervisors were given an additional two days of training on how to supervise fieldwork and ensure the collection of good quality data.
Twelve teams were constituted for the fieldwork. Each team was made up of a supervisor, three female interviewers, two male interviewers, and a driver. Interviewers and supervisors were selected on the basis of in-class participation, field practice, and eight theoretical assessment tests. The most experienced trainees, those who had participated in the pre-test, and those who did extremely well in the practices and the tests were selected to be supervisors.
IPH and INSTAT supervised all aspects of fieldwork activities. For this purpose, four quality control (QC) teams were formed with one staff person from each institution in each team. The quality control teams were responsible for between two and four interviewing teams (depending on the locality and the difficulty of accessing the teams). Selection of the quality controls teams was based on full participation in the pre-test training or the main survey training and practice, thorough experience with the full ADHS questionnaire, and ability to use and resolve problems on the PDA. ICF Macro followed the progress of fieldwork by receiving approximately every two weeks a standard set of quality control tables generated from the most recently collected data. In addition, ICF Macro staff visited 6 of the 12 interviewing teams and, along with the QC team members, observed fieldwork, reviewed progress, and checked the quality of fieldwork.
Data collection took place over six months, from late October 2008 to April 2009. On average, each team took about three days to complete one PSU, taking advantage of early mornings and late evenings to find respondents at home.