Peru experimental study: an evaluation of fertility and child health information.

Abstract

The US Agency for International Development and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development funded the 1986 Peru Experimental Survey. This survey was conducted in order to determine the reliability of methodologies used to measure factors in fertility contraception child health and infant and child mortality. 2534 women of reproductive age in Peru answered an experimental questionnaire and 4997 women answered a standard DHS questionnaire. The results of these 2 questionnaires were analyzed in the same manner and compared. The surveys sought to determine fertility infant and child mortality contraceptive knowledge ever use acceptability and availability contraceptive prevalence and failure breastfeeding amenorrhea and fecundability reproductive intentions child health variables menstrual history and coital frequency place of residence and womens employment. Comparisons of these 2 surveys showed that a truncated birth and death history and a 6-year monthly calendar for collection of additional data improved the data collected and the subsequent analysis. This double survey project was duplicated in the Dominican Republic on a total of 12000 women. The new standard questionnaire incorporates the monthly calendar but not the truncated history. Appendices contain the development of the monthly calendar and both questionnaires used in the survey.