[Data on birthweight in developing countries: are surveys useful?]

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 5, 2026

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
09:36

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study

Published on: February 2, 2017

J T Boerma1, K I Weinstein, S O Rutstein

  • 1Proyecto TANESA, Mwanza, Tanzanía.

Revista Panamericana De Salud Publica = Pan American Journal of Public Health
|May 16, 1998
PubMed

Insights

Demographic and Health Surveys provide valuable national estimates of mean birth weight and low birth weight incidence. However, recalled birth weight data has high misclassification, limiting individual-level analysis.

Area of Science:

  • Demography
  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology

Context:

  • Health facility statistics are the primary source for birth weight data in developing nations.
  • These statistics often lack annual low birth weight incidence estimates and are prone to selection bias, excluding neonates not born in facilities.

Purpose:

  • To evaluate the utility of Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) data for estimating national mean birth weight and low birth weight incidence.
  • To assess the accuracy of recalled birth weight and relative size at birth as indicators.

Summary:

  • Cross-sectional DHS data, collected since 1990, can be a useful source for national birth weight estimations.
  • While useful for population-level estimates, the data's misclassification rate is too high for individual-level assessment of low birth weight using relative size at birth.

Impact:

  • Highlights the potential of existing survey data to inform public health strategies related to newborn health.
  • Identifies limitations in data accuracy for individual-level analysis, guiding future data collection methodologies.

More Related Videos

Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts07:56

Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts

Published on: January 29, 2018

Visualizing Field Data Collection Procedures of Exposure and Biomarker Assessments for the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network Trial in India09:33

Visualizing Field Data Collection Procedures of Exposure and Biomarker Assessments for the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network Trial in India

Published on: December 23, 2022

Related Concept Videos

Population Growth00:57

Population Growth

Population size is dynamic, increasing with birth rates and immigration, and decreasing with death rates and emigration. In ideal conditions with unlimited resources, populations can increase exponentially, which plots as a J-shaped growth rate curve of population size against time. This type of curve is characteristic of newly-introduced invasive species, or populations that have suffered catastrophic declines and are rebounding.However, realistic environmental conditions limit the number of...
Surveys02:16

Surveys

Often, psychologists develop surveys as a means of gathering data. Surveys are lists of questions to be answered by research participants, and can be delivered as paper-and-pencil questionnaires, administered electronically, or conducted verbally. Generally, the survey itself can be completed in a short time, and the ease of administering a survey makes it easy to collect data from a large number of people.
Regression Toward the Mean01:52

Regression Toward the Mean

Regression toward the mean (“RTM”) is a phenomenon in which extremely high or low values—for example, and individual’s blood pressure at a particular moment—appear closer to a group’s average upon remeasuring. Although this statistical peculiarity is the result of random error and chance, it has been problematic across various medical, scientific, financial and psychological applications. In particular, RTM, if not taken into account, can interfere when researchers try to extrapolate results...
Data Collection by Survey01:07

Data Collection by Survey

The systematic method of obtaining and analyzing accurate information of a population is called data collection. A survey is a standard method of data collection that involves collecting information from a target human population about their experience, opinion, or knowledge of a product, service, or process. The responses are recorded and interpreted. The most common survey examples are written questionnaires, face-to-face or telephonic conversations, focus groups, and electronic (e-mail or...
Data Collection by Observations01:08

Data Collection by Observations

Data collection refers to a systematic way of obtaining, observing, measuring, and analyzing accurate information. Observational studies are one of the most widely used methods of data collection. It involves collecting data by observing the behavior and physical characteristics of a sample without making any modifications to the sample.
An astronomer viewing the motion and brightness of stars in the sky and recording the data is an example of observational data collection. A botanist recording...
Data: Types and Distribution01:19

Data: Types and Distribution

In biostatistics, data are the observations collected for analysis. There are two main types: parametric and non-parametric. Parametric data, which include continuous (e.g., weight) and discrete numerical data (e.g., number of tablets), assume a particular distribution pattern, often the normal distribution. Non-parametric data do not adhere to a specific distribution and typically comprise nominal (e.g., gender) and ordinal categorical data (e.g., pain scale ratings).
Distributions in...