Survey ID Number
NAM_1992_DHS_v01_M
Title
Demographic and Health Survey 1992
Data Collection Notes
PRETEST
In March and April 1992, a pretest was conducted to ensure that the questions were in a logical sequence, that the translations were comprehensible, appropriate and meaningful, and that the preceded answers were adequate. Fieldwork was conducted in both urban and rural enumeration areas (EAs) in order to accommodate the different languages used in the NDHS. Training for the pretest started in March and lasted two weeks. Staff from Macro Intemational conducted the training. Altogether 16 interviewers were trained (mostly secondary school leavers), and two officers from the Ministry of Health and Social Services. The two trained officers and the Macro International staff supervised the field work. The fieldwork for the pretest was completed in two weeks. After the fieldwork, some interviewers and supervisors as well the Macro International staff gathered in Windhoek for a debriefing and all their experiences during the fieldwork were discussed. All these experiences were used to improve the quality of the final version of the questionnaire.
RECRUITMENT OF FIELD STAFF
The four health regions, namely the Northwest, Northeast, Central and South region were requested to select and submit names of suitable candidates for the main survey. Candidates were selected on the following criteria: maturity, minimum educational qualification to be grade 10 or higher, ability to read and speak one of the major Namibian languages chosen for NDHS, and willingness to work in the field for several months.
In all, 56 female candidates were recruited as interviewers and 5 senior officials from the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS). Two of the interviewers excelled in the training session and as only 5 senior officials from the 8 could be recruited from the MOHSS, it was decided that these 2 interviewers would be selected as supervisors. At the end of four weeks intensive training, 35 female candidates (28 interviewers, 7 field editors) and 7 supervisors were selected for the fieldwork. Five trainees were selected to become dataentry and editing staff. Assessment tests were used in selecting candidates. Due to the shortage of staff in the MOHSS and the workload on the staff of the Epidemiology Section a technical assistant was recruited for the Epidemiology Section to assist in the day-to-day preparation and logistic exercises of the NDHS activities.
TRAINING OF FIELD STAFF
Stafffrom the Epidemiology Section (MOHSS) and from Macro International conducted the training of field staff which lasted for four weeks, beginning June 1992. The training lasted four weeks. The first two weeks were devoted to classroom lectures, demonstrations of interviewing techniques, and instruction on how to complete the questionnaires and assignment sheets, using the instruction manuals as guides. By the third week of training, interviewers were grouped by language, with their supervisors, for practice reading the questionnaires and role playing. The fourth week was devoted to practice fieldwork in EAs not selected in the NDHS sample and near the training center. The completed questionnaires for practice fieldwork were checked by the trainers and supervisors and errors were discussed during the evening sessions before proceeding to the next EA. During training, a series of assessment tests was given to the interviewers and supervisors. These tests were graded and the results were used in selecting interviewers and supervisors; those candidates who had a better grasp of the questionnaire, and were adept at detecting errors in completed questionnaires, were designated as field editors.
A Macro International consultant conducted the anthropometry training and was assisted by two staff from the Nutrition Unit (MOHSS). Arrangements were made with nurseries, day care centers, and hospitals for practice measuring of infants and children. All trainees received anthropometric training.
MAIN SURVEY FIELDWORK
The main survey fieldwork commenced immediately after training. For most of the teams the first week of fieldwork was conducted in Windhoek where the training took place, covering the selected urban EAs.
At the end of the first week, a debriefing session was held, during which field staff and trainers related their experiences and problems. There were question and answer sessions and solutions to problems were discussed. The procedures and fieldwork plan and itinerary were discussed before the teams were posted to their respective regions for the fieldwork.
Fieldwork for the main survey was conducted between July and November 1992. Although the exercise for the main survey was planned to last only for three months (July to September 1992), it was extended and the last team continued to work into early December. There were logistic problems, including shortage of transport, two teams have been involved in accidents, some interviewers had to leave prematurely to rewrite their standard 10 (O-level) examination, some quitted the NDHS for permanent jobs and three supervisors had to leave the NDHS for personal reasons in October. The fieldwork of one team in Northeast region (Kavango) stopped fieldwork in December, although they still had to compete nine more of the 30 selected EAs. Continued fieldwork would delay the survey considerably, and since Northeast region had been oversampled, it would not affect estimates of fertility and mortality too much.
Sixty-seven EAs were selected from the Northwest region, 45 for Northeast, and 63 for the combined Central/South region. Women eligible for the individual interview were identified during the household interview. Team supervisors located the housing units and assigned selected households to the interviewers. Completed household and individual questionnaires were handed over to the field editor, who checked to ensure that all relevant questions were correctly recorded, that the skip instructions were properly followed, and that responses were internally consistent. This field editing was done before the team leli the EA so that the interviewer could retum to the respondent to resolve any errors. Each questionnaire was field edited prior to being sent to the office in Windhoek for data entry.