Literal question
For women aged twelve (12) to fifty four (54) years
Last birth
P27 When did name bear her last child? (Record month and year) month ___ year ___
P28 What is the sex of the last child? (Write code: Male=1, Female=2) ___
P29 Is the last child still alive? (Write code: Yes=1, No=2) ___
P30 If dead, write age at death in complete months? (If age is more than 59 months, write 60) ___
Interviewer instructions
Child Birth History
170. Questions P23 to P30, apply to All Women Aged 12 - 54 Years.
171. An answer is required of all women in this age category irrespective of whether or not they are married, whether or not they are still attending school, and whether or not they may have produced children.
172. If the person is male or is a girl aged 0-11 years, or a woman aged 55 years or more write "N/A" for Question P23 and leave the rest of the column blank.
173. We are concerned with the number of children a woman has borne alive. A child born alive is one who cries after being born, breathes or shows any evidence of life such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord or definite movement of voluntary muscles. Do not include stillbirths - that is children who are delivered when they were already dead.
174. Remember to use a two-digit code for all the questions in this section except P28 and P29 which require a one-digit code.
175. It is important that you speak to the woman herself. Some women may not be willing to give information about the exact numbers of children they have produced, if they know that some of them do not belong to their current husband and they are living somewhere else. The female herself will know about the children she has borne and will be able to answer the question more accurately than anyone else.
176. Ask questions P23 - P26 separately for male and female children.
Question P27: When was the Last Child Borne
Ask, "When did (name) bear her last child?
186. Ask the respondent for the date of birth for the last borne child. Remember to use a two-digit code for the month and for the year. For example, if the child was born on 21st February 1972 record '02' for month and '72' for the year.
187. Remember to ask this question to only those women who reported having children. If the woman has never given birth to a child, write "N/A" for Question P27 and leave the rest of the column blank.
