Demographic and Health Survey 2007
Marshall Islands, 2007
Identification
MHL_2007_DHS_v01_M
Demographic and Health Survey 2007
| Name | Country code |
|---|---|
| Marshall Islands | MHL |
Demographic and Health Survey [hh/dhs]
The 2007 Republic of the Marshall Islands Demographic and Health Survey (2007 RMIDHS) was one of four pilot DHSs in the Pacific under the Asian Development Bank/Secretariat of the Pacific Community (ADB/SPC) Regional DHS Pilot Project.
The principal objective of the Republic of the Marshall Islands 2007 Demographic and Health Survey (2007 RMIDHS) is to provide current and reliable data on fertility and family planning behavior, child mortality, adult and maternal mortality, children’s nutritional status, the utilization of maternal and child health services, and knowledge of HIV and AIDS. The specific objectives of the survey are to:
• collect data at the national level that will allow the calculation of key demographic rates;
• analyze the direct and indirect factors that determine the level and trends of fertility;
• measure the level of contraceptive knowledge and practice among women and men by method, urban/rural residence, and region;
• collect high-quality data on family health, including immunization coverage among children, prevalence and treatment of diarrhea and other diseases among children under five, and maternity care indicators (including antenatal visits, assistance at delivery, and postnatal care);
• collect data on infant and child mortality;
• obtain data on child feeding practices, including breastfeeding, and collect ‘observation’ information to use in assessing the nutritional status of women and children;
• collect data on knowledge and attitudes of women and men about sexually transmitted infections (STIs), HIV and AIDS and evaluate patterns of recent behavior regarding condom use; and
• collect data on support to mentally ill persons and information on the incidence of suicide.
This information is essential for informed policy decisions, planning, monitoring, and evaluation of programs on health in general and reproductive health in particular at both national level and in urban and rural areas. A long-term objective of the survey is to strengthen the technical capacity of government organizations to plan, conduct, process, and analyze data from complex national population and health surveys. Moreover, the 2007 RMIDHS provides national, rural, and urban estimates on population and health that are comparable to data collected in similar surveys in other Pacific DHS pilot countries and other developing countries.
Sample survey data [ssd]
- Household
- Women age 15-49
- Men age 15-59
Scope
The 2007 Republic of Marshall Islands Demographic and Health Survey covered the following topics:
HOUSEHOLD LEVEL
- Household identification
- Household schedule/ demographic characteristic
- Household characteristics
- Malnutrition examination for children age 0-5
- Mental health
WOMEN
- Respondent background
- Reproduction
- Contraception
- Pregnancy and post-natal care
- Child immunization
- Marriage and sexual activity
- Fertility preferences
- Husband's background and woman's work
- HIV/AIDS
- Other health issues
- Domestic violence
MEN
- Respondent background
- Reproduction
- Contraception
- Marriage and sexual activity
- Fertility preferences
- Employment and gender roles
- HIV/AIDS
- Other health issues
Coverage
National
Producers and sponsors
| Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Economic Policy, Planning and Statistics Office (EPPSO) | Government of the Marshall Islands |
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Secretariat of the Pacific Community | Sample design, preparing the overall project plan and budget, train EPPSO staff in project planning and implementation management, providing data processing support, and compiling the full DHS report. | |
| Macro International Inc. | MEASURE DHS | Provided technical assistance |
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Asian Development Bank | Funded the project |
| Australian Agency for International Development | Funded the project |
| New Zealand Agency for International Development | Funded the project |
| Government of the Marshall Islands | Financial assistance |
Sampling
The primary focus of the 2007 RMIDHS was to provide estimates of key population and health indicators, including fertility and mortality rates, for the country as a whole and for urban and rural areas separately. The survey used the sampling frame provided by the list of census enumeration areas, with population and household information from the 1999 RMI Census and the 2006 Community Survey.
The survey was designed to obtain completed interviews of 1,070 women aged 15-49. In addition, males aged 15-59 in every second household were interviewed. To take non-response into account, a total of 608 households countrywide were selected: 295 in urban areas and 313 in rural areas.
A total of 1,141 households were selected for the sample, of which 1,131 were found to be occupied during data collection. Of these existing households, 1,106 were successfully interviewed, giving a household response rate of 98 percent.
In the households, 1,742 women were identified as eligible for the individual interview. Interviews were completed with 1,625 women, yielding a response rate of 93 percent. Of the 1,218 eligible men identified in the selected sub-sample of households, 87 percent were successfully interviewed. Response rates were higher in rural than urban areas, with the rural–urban difference in response rates most marked among eligible men.
Survey instrument
Three questionnaires were administered for the 2007 RMIDHS: a household questionnaire, a women’s questionnaire, and a men’s questionnaire. These were adapted to reflect population and health issues relevant to the Marshall Islands at a series of meetings with various stakeholders from government ministries and agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and international donors. The final draft of the questionnaires was discussed at a questionnaire design workshop organized by EPPSO in September 2006 in Majuro. The survey questionnaires were then translated into the local language (Marshallese) and pretested from November 16 to December 13, 2006.
The household questionnaire was used to list all the usual members and visitors in the selected households and to identify women and men who were eligible for the individual interview. 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 their parents was determined. The household questionnaire also collected information on characteristics of the household’s dwelling unit, such as the source of water, type of toilet facilities, materials used for the floor of the house, and ownership of various durable goods. Additionally, it was used to record information on mental illness and suicide experiences of members of the household.
The women’s questionnaire was used to collect information from all women aged 15–49. The women were asked questions on:
• characteristics such as education, residential history, and media exposure;
• pregnancy history and childhood mortality;
• knowledge and use of family planning methods;
• fertility preferences;
• antenatal, delivery, and postnatal care;
• breastfeeding and infant feeding practices;
• immunization and childhood illnesses;
• marriage and sexual activity;
• their own work and their husband’s background characteristics; and
• awareness and behavior regarding HIV and other STIs.
The men’s questionnaire was administered to all men aged 15–59 living in every second household in the 2007 RMIDHS sample. It collected much of the same information found in the women’s questionnaire, but was shorter because it did not contain a detailed reproductive history or questions on maternal and child health or nutrition.
Data collection
| Start | End |
|---|---|
| 2007-02-08 | 2007-06-07 |
Data collection began on February 8, 2007 by four field teams, each consisting of three female interviewers, one male interviewer, a male supervisor and a female field editor. Fieldwork was completed on June 7, 2007. Fieldwork supervision was coordinated by EPPSO; three quality control teams made up of one male and one female member each monitored data quality. Additionally, close contact between EPPSO and the field teams was maintained through field visits by senior staff. Regular communication was also maintained through cell phones and small two-way radios.
Data processing
The processing of the 2007 RMIDHS results began soon after the start of fieldwork. Completed questionnaires were returned periodically from the field to the EPPSO data processing center in Majuro, where they were entered and edited by four data processing personnel specially trained for this task. The data processing personnel were supervised by EPPSO staff. The concurrent processing of the data was an advantage since field check tables were generated early on to monitor various data quality parameters. As a result, specific and ongoing feedback was given to the field teams to improve performance. The data entry and editing of the questionnaires was completed by June 30, 2007. Data processing was done using CSPro.
Data appraisal
Data Quality Tables
- Household age distribution
- Age distribution of eligible and interviewed women
- Age distribution of eligible and interviewed men
- Completeness of reporting
- Births by calendar years
- Reporting of age at death in days
- Reporting of age at death in months
Note: See detailed tables in APPENDIX D of the final survey report.
Distributor information
| Organization name |
|---|
| Economic Policy, Planning, and Statistics Office Government of Marshall Islands P.O Box 7 Majuro Marshall Isld. Tel (692) 625.3802 Fax (692) 625.3805 Email planning@ntamar.net Web http://www.spc.int/prism/country/mh/stats/index.htm |
Data Access
| Name | Affiliation | URL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Policy, Planning and Statistics Office | Government of the Marshall Islands | www.spc.int/prism/country/mh/stats/index.htm | planning@ntamar.net |
Use of the dataset must be acknowledged using a citation which would include:
- the Identification of the Primary Investigator
- the title of the survey (including country, acronym and year of implementation)
- the survey reference number
- the source and date of download
Example:
Economic Policy, Planning and Statistics Office (EPPSO), Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and Macro International Inc. Republic of the Marshall Islands Demographic and Health Survey 2007. Ref. MHL_2007_DHS_v01_M. Dataset downloaded from [source] on [date].
Disclaimer and copyrights
The user of the data acknowledges that the original collector of the data, the authorized distributor of the data, and the relevant funding agency bear no responsibility for use of the data or for interpretations or inferences based upon such uses.
Contacts
| Name | Affiliation | URL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Policy, Planning and Statistics Office | Government of the Marshall Islands | planning@ntamar.net | www.spc.int/prism/country/mh/stats/index.htm |
Metadata production
DDI_MHL_2007_DHS_v01_M
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| World Bank, Development Economics Data Group | Documentation of the study |
Metadata version
Version 1.1: (February 2013)