title: [Use of a monthly calendar for collecting retrospective data on contraception: an evaluation of the experimental field studies of the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS)].
abstract: A methodological experiment was conducted as part of the Demographic  and Health Surveys (DHS) project to determine whether different  approaches to measuring the same variables would yield similar results.  The experiment consisted of the use of a new questionnaire,  incorporating variants of many of the traditional approaches to the  collection of demographic and health data.  The experimental  questionnaire was applied in 2 countries, Peru and the Dominican  Republic at the same time as the standard survey.  The most salient  feature of this new questionnaire pregnancies, contraceptive practice,  and postpartum, marriage, employment, and migration information.  In  this paper, the authors evaluate whether the use of the calendar in the  experimental questionnaire improved the quality of the resulting  information on contraception in the DHS surveys from the abovementioned  countries.  Specifically, the author determine whether the monthly  calendar led to better estimates of contraceptive prevalence, failure,  and discontinuation, and discuss the advantages and drawbacks of the  calendar over the more standard approach.  Results from this evaluation  suggest that the major advantages of the calendar over the more  standard questionnaire are 3-fold:  it allows for more complete reports  of use for periods prior to the survey; it allows for a detailed study  of contraceptive use patterns; and it obtains information which is more  internally consistent with other types of information.  On the bases of  these findings, the DHS project will include a calendar in the new  standard questionnaire to be used in the 2nd round of surveys (DHS II).
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Goldman
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Babakol
mesh_terms: D000569:Americas; D017691:Caribbean Region; D003267:Contraception; D003268:Contraception Behavior; D003625:Data Collection; D003906:Developing Countries; D004293:Dominican Republic; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005193:Family Planning Services; D007843:Latin America; D008722:Methods; D009656:North America; D010568:Peru; D015995:Prevalence; D012106:Research; D012107:Research Design; D013020:South America
keywords: Americas; Caribbean; Contraception; Contraception Failure; Contraception Termination; Contraceptive Usage; Data Collection; Developing Countries; Dominican Republic; Evaluation; Family Planning; Latin America; Measurement; Methodological Studies; North America; Peru; Prevalence; Research Methodology; South America