Survey ID Number
BGD_2011_DHS_v01_M
Title
Demographic and Health Survey 2011
Questionnaires
The 2011 BDHS used five types of questionnaires: a Household Questionnaire, a Woman’s Questionnaire, a Man’s Questionnaire, a Community Questionnaire, and two Verbal Autopsy Questionnaires to collect data on causes of death among children under age 5. The contents of the household and individual questionnaires were based on the MEASURE DHS model questionnaires. These model questionnaires were adapted for use in Bangladesh during a series of meetings with a Technical Working Group (TWG) that consisted of representatives from NIPORT, Mitra and Associates, International Centre for Diarrheal Diseases and Control, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B), USAID/Bangladesh, and MEASURE DHS. Draft questionnaires were then circulated to other interested groups and were reviewed by the 2011 BDHS Technical Review Committee. The questionnaires were developed in English and then translated and printed into Bangla.
The Household Questionnaire was used to list all 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. The main purpose of the Household Questionnaire was to identify women and men who were eligible for the individual interview. In addition, information was collected about the dwelling unit, such as the source of water, type of toilet facilities, materials used to construct the floors and walls, and ownership of various consumer goods.
The Household Questionnaire was also used to record for eligible individuals:
• Height and weight measurements
• Anemia test results
• Measurements of blood pressure and blood glucose
The Woman’s Questionnaire was used to collect information from ever-married women age 12-49. Women were asked questions on the following topics:
• Background characteristics (e.g., age, education, religion, and media exposure)
• Reproductive history
• Use and source of family planning methods
• Antenatal, delivery, postnatal, and newborn care
• Breastfeeding and infant feeding practices
• Child immunizations and childhood illnesses
• Marriage
• Fertility preferences
• Husband’s background and respondent’s work
• Awareness of AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections
• Food security
The Man’s Questionnaire was used to collect information from ever-married men age 15-54. Men were asked questions on the following topics:
• Background characteristics (including respondent’s work)
• Marriage
• Fertility preferences
• Participation in reproductive health care
• Awareness of AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections
The Community Questionnaire was administered in each selected cluster during the household listing operation. Data were collected by administering the Community Questionnaire to a group of four to six community leaders who were knowledgeable about socioeconomic conditions and the availability of health and family planning services/facilities, in or near the sample area (cluster). Community leaders included such persons as government officials, social workers, teachers, religious leaders, traditional healers, and health care providers.
The Community Questionnaire collected information about the existence of development organizations in the community and the availability and accessibility of health services and other facilities.
During the household listing operation, the geographic coordinates and altitude of each cluster were also recorded. The information obtained in these questionnaires was also used to verify information gathered in the Woman’s and Man’s Questionnaires on the types of facilities accessed and health services personnel seen.
The Verbal Autopsy Questionnaires were developed based on the work done by an expert group led by the WHO, consisting of researchers, data users, and other stakeholders under the sponsorship of the Health Metrics Network (HMN). The verbal autopsy tools are intended to serve the various needs of the users of mortality information. Two questionnaires were used to collect information related to the causes of death among young children; the first questionnaire collected data on neonatal deaths (deaths at 0-28 days), and the second questionnaire collected data on deaths between four weeks and five years. These questionnaires were administered to mothers who reported the death of a child under age 5 in the five-year period prior to the 2011 BDHS survey or care taker who were knowledgeable about the symptoms and treatment preceding the death. The questionnaires contained both structured (pre-coded) questions and nonstructured (open-ended) questions.
The following topics were covered in the Verbal Autopsy Questionnaires:
• Identification including detailed address of respondent
• Informed consent
• Detailed age description of deceased child
• Respondent’s account of illness/events leading to death
• Maternal history, including questions on prenatal care, labor and delivery, and obstetrical complications
• Information about accidental deaths
• Detailed signs and symptoms preceding death
• Mother’s health and contextual factors
• Information on treatment module and information on direct, underlying contributing causes of death from the death certificate, if available.