Survey ID Number
NPL_2014_MICS_v01_M
Title
Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2014
Sampling Procedure
The primary objective of the sample design for the Nepal MICS 2014 was to produce statistically reliable estimates of most indicators, at the national level, for urban and rural areas, and for the 15 ecological zones of the country: Eastern Mountains, Eastern Hills, Eastern Terai, Central Mountains, Central Hills, Central Terai, Western Mountains, Western Hills, Western Terai, Mid-Western Mountains, Mid-Western Hills, Mid-Western Terai, Far Western Mountains, Far Western Hills, Far Western Terai. Urban and rural areas in each of the 15 ecological zones were defined as the sampling strata. The Central Hills zone is further divided into two substrata as Kathmandu Valley and Other urban areas.
A multi-stage, stratified cluster sampling approach was used for the selection of the survey sample.
Water quality testing was carried out in each of the 519 clusters sampled for this survey. Three households were selected from the list of 25 households interviewed in each cluster using a random systematic selection procedure. This yielded a total of 1,557 households for E. coli testing in drinking water. For one of the three households in each cluster, a sample was also taken from the household's source of drinking water, yielding 519 samples. Samples of household drinking water were taken from a glass of water that would be given to a child to drink, and each sample of source water was collected in a sterile Whirl-Pak bag.
The sample size for the Nepal MICS 2014 was calculated as 13,000 households. For the calculation of the sample size, the key indicator used was the birth registration prevalence among children aged 0-4 years.
For the calculation, r (birth registration) was assumed to be 42.3 percent. The value of deff (design effect) was taken as 2 based on estimates from previous surveys, pb (percentage of children aged 0-4 years in the total population) was taken as 9.7 percent, AveSize (average household size) was taken as 4.88 persons per household, and the response rate was assumed to be 95 percent, based on experience from previous surveys.
Calculations of the required sample sizes indicated that 800 households per domain would be adequate to yield estimates with sufficient precision for most of the indicators, but in the case of three large domains (Eastern Terai, Central Terai, and Western Hills) the decision was made to increase the sample size to 1,000 households. One domain (Western Mountains) posed a particular problem because of its small size. The natural inclination would be to combine it with Mid-Western Mountains, but that was considered undesirable, because of the need to have a separate estimate for this latter domain (which is also known as Karnali). The decision was therefore made to keep Western Mountains as a separate domain. Only 400 households were allocated to it on the clear understanding that the resulting estimates were bound to have lower precision than corresponding estimates for other domains. The overall total sample size was 13,000 households.
The number of households selected per cluster for the Nepal MICS 2014 was determined as 25 households, based on a number of considerations, including the design effect, the budget available, and the time that would be needed per team to complete one cluster. Dividing the total number of households by the number of sample households per cluster, it was calculated that 40, 32 or 16 sample clusters would need to be selected in each zone.
The sampling procedures are more fully described in "Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2014 - Final Report" pp.233-237.
Questionnaires
Four sets of questionnaires were used in the survey: (1) a household questionnaire which was used to collect basic demographic information on all de jure household members (usual residents), the household, and the dwelling; (2) a questionnaire for individual women administered in each household to all women aged 15–49 years; (3) an under-5 questionnaire, administered to mothers (or caretakers) for all children under five years of age living in the household; and (4) a water quality testing questionnaire to test for bacteria and measure E. coli content in household drinking water and water source in a subsample of the households.
The Household Questionnaire included the following modules: List of Household Members, Education, Child Labour, Child Discipline, Household Characteristics, Water and Sanitation, Handwashing, Salt Iodization.
The Questionnaire for Individual Women was administered to all women aged 15–49 years living in the households, and included the following modules: Woman’s Background, Access to Mass Media and Use of Information/Communication Technology, Fertility/Birth History, Desire for Last Birth, Maternal and Newborn Health, Postnatal Health Checks, Illness Symptoms, Contraception, Unmet Need, Attitudes Toward Domestic Violence, Marriage/Union, HIV/AIDS, Tobacco and Alcohol Use, Life Satisfaction.
The Questionnaire for Children Under Five was administered to mothers (or caretakers) of children under five years of age1 living in the households. Normally, the questionnaire was administered to mothers of under-5s; in cases when the mother was not listed in the household roster, a primary caretaker for the child was identified and interviewed. The questionnaire included the following modules: Age, Birth Registration, Early Childhood Development, Breastfeeding and Dietary Intake, Immunization, Care of Illness, Anthropometry.
The Questionnaire for Water Quality Testing was administered to a sub-sample of selected households for measuring E. coli content in the household drinking water and included only one module: Water Quality
The questionnaires are based on the MICS5 model questionnaire. From the MICS5 model English version, the questionnaires were customized and translated into Nepali, Maithili and Bhojpuri. Pre-test training was conducted in Dhulikhel, Kavre District, from 25 October to 2 November 2013. Pre-test fieldwork was conducted in 25 households of both urban and rural locations in Sindhupalchowk District (Mountains), Tanahun District (Hills) and Dhanusa District (Terai) during November 2013. Based on the results of the pre-test, modifications were made to the wording and translation of the questionnaires. A copy of the Nepal MICS questionnaires is provided in Appendix F.
In addition to the administration of questionnaires, fieldwork teams tested the salt used for cooking in the households for iodine content, observed the place for handwashing, and measured the weights and heights of children under five. Details and findings of these observations and measurements are provided in the respective sections of the report.
In each cluster, water from three households and one source of drinking water were tested for E. coli. Testing was conducted by the team measurer. As a routine quality control measure, the supervisor regularly observed the measurer in the testing of blanks. In addition, professional laboratory technicians from an external agency were engaged for the purpose. They visited field teams during the survey and observed the measurers during testing, giving corrective support as needed.