Literal question
4. How old is [name] (completed year)?
____ Years
If respondent doesn't know, use year of birth to calculate age or use major events listed in enumerator manual to prompt respondent.
Check that age in question 4 and year of birth in question 5 are consistent.
Interviewer instructions
Question 4: Age is an important variable for most socio-economic analysis and must be established as accurately as possible. This refers to age as at last birthday. The age of each person will be recorded in completed years. This is the age of the person at their last birthday. If someone will be 25 years old in two weeks after the date of interview, the recorded age would be 24. Ages of nine years or less will be recorded with a leading zero for example '03'; infants less than one year old will be recorded '00'. For older individuals who may have problem determining their exact age, the interviewer will probe to obtain an estimate. Try to make the best possible estimate. Please make use of the national calendar of events to assist in determining the ages of such individuals. The field supervisor should also be of great help in determining the age of the elderly. Information supplied in question 4 above should be a guide here. Note also that for children aged 5 years and less, the age is very important in interpreting child malnutrition. The age of persons 100 years and older should be recorded as 98.
How to use the historical calendar:
Ask of any historical event (national or local) which occurred around the time of birth or childhood.
Ask how old respondent was when that event occurred or how many years elapsed before his/her birth.
Then use the information obtained to calculate the age. For example, if respondent was 15 when Nigeria obtained independence, this person should be 15 + 45 (i.e. 1st October 1960 to 23rd September 2005) = 60 years. If still this methodology fails try the next approach.
Simply estimate how old the respondent may be based on some district historical events, some events which occurred.