Dataset Information

The relationship between interviewer-respondent familiarity and family planning outcomes in the Democratic Republic of Congo: a repeat cross-sectional analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

The typical approach of survey data collection is to use interviewers who are not from the study site and do not know the participants, yet the implications of this approach on data quality have seldom been investigated. We examine the relationship between interviewer-respondent familiarity and selected family planning outcomes, and whether this relationship changes over time between 2015 and 2016.

Setting

We use data from the Performance Monitoring and Accountability 2020 Project in Kongo Central Province, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Participants

Participants include representative samples of women of reproductive ages (15 to 49), 1565 interviewed in 2015 and 1668 in 2016. The study used a two-stage cluster design: first randomly selecting enumeration areas (EAs), then randomly selecting households within each EA.

Design

We first identify individual characteristics associated with familiarity between RE and respondent. Next, we examine the relationship between RE-respondent acquaintance and family planning outcomes. Finally, we use two waves of data to examine whether this relationship changes over time between 2015 and 2016.

Results

In multivariate analysis, interviewer-respondent acquaintance is significantly associated with last birth unintended (OR 1.91, 95%?CI 1.17 to 3.13) and reported infertility in 2015 (OR 2.26, 95%?CI 1.03 to 4.95); and any contraceptive use (OR 1.51, 95%?CI 1.01 to 2.28), traditional contraceptive use (OR 1.79, 95%?CI 1.10 to 2.89), reported infidelity (OR 1.89, 95%?CI 1.02 to 3.49) and age at first sex (coefficient -0.48, 95%?CI -0.96 to -0.01) in 2016. The impact of acquaintance on survey responses changed over time for any contraceptive use (OR 2.09, 95%?CI 1.33 to 3.30).

Conclusions

The standard in many large-scale surveys is to use interviewers from outside the community. Our results show that interviewer-respondent acquaintance is associated with a range of family planning outcomes; therefore, we recommend that the approach to hiring interviewers be examined and reconsidered in survey data collection efforts.

SUBMITTER: Anglewicz P

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6348299 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

The relationship between interviewer-respondent familiarity and family planning outcomes in the Democratic Republic of Congo: a repeat cross-sectional analysis.

Anglewicz Philip P Akilimali Pierre P Eitmann Linnea Perry LP Hernandez Julie J Kayembe Patrick P

BMJ open 20190121 1

<h4>Objectives</h4>The typical approach of survey data collection is to use interviewers who are not from the study site and do not know the participants, yet the implications of this approach on data quality have seldom been investigated. We examine the relationship between interviewer-respondent familiarity and selected family planning outcomes, and whether this relationship changes over time between 2015 and 2016.<h4>Setting</h4>We use data from the Performance Monitoring and Accountability 2 ...[more]

PMID: 30670510

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Project description:Momentum for family planning in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is evident in multiple ways: strong political will, increasing donor support, a growing number of implementing organizations, innovative family planning programming, and a cohesive family planning stakeholder group. Between 2013 and 2017, the modern contraceptive prevalence rate (mCPR) in the capital city of Kinshasa increased from 18.5% to 26.7% among married women, but as of 2013-14, it was only 7.8% at the national level. The National Multisectoral Strategic Plan for Family Planning: 2014-2020 calls for achieving an mCPR of 19.0% by 2020, an ambitious goal in light of formidable challenges to family planning in the DRC. Of the 16,465 health facilities reporting to the national health information system in 2017, only 40% offer family planning services. Key challenges include uncertainty over the political situation, difficulties of ensuring access to family planning services in a vast country with a weak transportation infrastructure, funding shortfalls for procuring adequate quantities of contraceptives, weak contraceptive logistics and supply chain management, strong cultural norms that favor large families, and low capacity of the population to pay for contraceptive services. This article describes promising initiatives designed to address these barriers, consistent with the World Health Organization's framework for health systems strengthening. For example, the national family planning coordinating mechanism is being replicated at the provincial level to oversee the expansion of family planning service delivery. Promising initiatives are being implemented to improve the supply and quality of services and generate demand for family planning, including social marketing of subsidized contraceptives at both traditional and non-traditional channels and strengthening of services in military health facilities. To expand contraceptive access, family planning is being institutionalized in nursing schools, allowing students to operate as community-based distributors. While major challenges remain, significant progress in family planning has been made in the DRC, which should be judged not in comparison with sub-Saharan African countries with high mCPR and mature programs, but rather with those starting from much further behind.

Project description:BackgroundHigh epilepsy prevalence and incidence were observed in onchocerciasis-endemic villages in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). We investigated the clinical characteristics of onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy (OAE), and the relationship between seizure severity and microfilarial density.MethodsIn October 2017, ivermectin-naive persons with epilepsy (PWE) were recruited from onchocerciasis-endemic areas in the Logo health zone in the DRC. Additional PWE were enrolled in the Aketi health zone, where ivermectin had been distributed annually for 14 years. Past medical history, clinical characteristics and skin snips for Onchocerca volvulus detection were obtained from participants. Bivariate and multivariable analyses were used to investigate associations with microfilarial density.ResultsOf the 420 PWE in the Logo health zone, 392 were skin snipped (36.5% positive). Generalized motor seizures were most frequent (392 PWE, 93.3%), and nodding seizures were reported in 32 (7.6%) participants. Twelve PWE (3.1%) presented Nakalanga features. Sixty-three (44.1%) skin snip-positive PWE had a family history of epilepsy, compared to only 82 (32.9%) skin snip-negative PWE (p = 0.027). Eighty-one onchocerciasis-infected PWE were recruited in the Aketi health zone. Positive correlations between seizure frequency and microfilarial density were observed in Logo (Spearman-rho = 0.175; p<0.001) and Aketi (Spearman-rho = 0.249; p = 0.029). In the multivariable model adjusted for age, gender, and previous treatment, high seizure frequency was associated with increasing microfilarial density in Aketi (p = 0.025) but not in Logo (p = 0.148).ConclusionIn onchocerciasis-endemic regions in the DRC, a wide spectrum of seizures was observed. The occurrence of Nodding seizures and Nakalanga features, as well as an association between seizure severity and O. volvulus microfilarial density suggest a high OAE prevalence in the study villages.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT03052998.

Dataset Information

The relationship between interviewer-respondent familiarity and family planning outcomes in the Democratic Republic of Congo: a repeat cross-sectional analysis.

Objectives

Setting

Participants

Design

Results

Conclusions

Publications

The relationship between interviewer-respondent familiarity and family planning outcomes in the Democratic Republic of Congo: a repeat cross-sectional analysis.

Similar Datasets

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