Questionnaires
Three questionnaires were administered in the 2011 NDHS: the Household Questionnaire, the Woman’s Questionnaire, and the Man’s Questionnaire. These questionnaires were adapted from the standard DHS6 core questionnaires to reflect the population and health issues relevant to Nepal at a series of meetings with various stakeholders from government ministries and agencies, nongovernmental organizations, EDPs, and international donors. The final draft of each questionnaire was discussed at a questionnaire design workshop organized by the MOHP, Population Division on 22 April 2010 in Kathmandu. These questionnaires were then translated from English into the three main local languages—Nepali, Maithali, and Bhojpuri—and back translated into English. Questionnaires were finalized after the pretest, which was held from 30 September to 4 November 2010, with a one-week break in October for the Dasain holiday.
The Household Questionnaire was used to list all of the usual members and visitors in the selected households. Some basic information was collected on the characteristics of each person listed, including age, sex, education, and relationship to the head of the household. For children under age 18, the survival status of the parents was determined. The Household Questionnaire was used to identify women and men who were eligible for the individual interview and women who were eligible for the interview focusing on domestic violence. The Household Questionnaire also collected information on characteristics of the household’s dwelling unit, such as source of water, type of toilet facilities, materials used for the floor of the house, ownership of various durable goods, ownership of mosquito nets, and household food security. The results of salt testing for iodine content, height and weight measurements, and anemia testing were also recorded in the Household Questionnaire.
The Woman’s Questionnaire was used to collect information from women age 15-49. Women were asked questions on the following topics:
- background characteristics (education, residential history, media exposure, etc.)
- pregnancy history and childhood mortality
- knowledge and use of family planning methods
- fertility preferences
- antenatal, delivery, and postnatal care
- breastfeeding and infant feeding practices
- vaccinations and childhood illnesses
- marriage and sexual activity
- work characteristics and husband’s background characteristics
- awareness and behavior regarding AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections
- domestic violence
The Man’s Questionnaire was administered to all men age 15-49 living in every second household in the 2011 NDHS. The Man’s Questionnaire collected much of the same information as the Woman’s Questionnaire but was shorter because it did not contain a detailed reproductive history or questions on maternal and child health, nutrition, or domestic violence.
HEMOGLOBIN TESTING
In the 2011 NDHS, anemia testing was conducted in every second household (i.e., in households where male interviews were conducted). In such households, all women age 15-49 and children age 6-59 months were tested for anemia. The protocol for hemoglobin testing was approved by the Nepal Health Research Council and the ICF Macro Institutional Review Board in Calverton, Maryland, USA.
Selected interviewers were trained to conduct this procedure. Respondents (and their parent or guardian in the case of unmarried minors) were asked for their consent to participate in the anemia testing. The interviewers explained the purpose of the test, informed prospective subjects and/or their caretakers that the results would be made available as soon as the test was completed, and requested permission for the test to be carried out. Levels of anemia were classified as severe, moderate, or mild according to criteria developed by the World Health Organization (DeMaeyer et al., 1989).
To measure the level of hemoglobin, capillary blood was taken in the field from a finger using sterile, one-time-use lancets that allowed for a relatively painless puncture. The concentration of hemoglobin in the blood was measured using the HemoCue system. Before the blood was taken, the finger was wiped with an alcohol prep swab and allowed to air-dry. Then the palm side of the end of the finger was punctured with a sterile, non-reusable, self-retractable lancet. A drop of blood was collected with a HemoCue microcuvette and placed in a HemoCue photometer, where the results were displayed. For children age 6 to 11 months who were particularly undernourished and bony, a heel puncture was made to draw a drop of blood. The results were recorded in the Household Questionnaire, as well as on a brochure given to each woman, parent, or responsible adult explaining what the results meant. Women or children whose results indicated severe anemia were provided with a card referring them to the nearest health facility.