title: The evaluation of surveys of sexual behaviour: a study of couples in rural Senegal.
abstract: The reliability of self-reported answers about sexual behaviour is assessed by means of a survey of couples in rural Senegal, Africa, carried out in 1992. A total of 51 married couples were followed weekly over a five-week period. Reports for a recall period of seven days are reliable: dates of sexual acts differed by no more than a day in 73 per cent of cases. Reports over longer periods are less reliable. Retrospective recall of coital frequency for a four-week period yields much higher estimates than those obtained with a seven-day recall, particularly for men.
authors.affiliation: Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (URA49) et Institut National d'Etudes Démographiques, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Enel
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lagarde
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pison
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012423:Rural Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012675:Senegal / Q000453:epidemiology; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000523:psychology*