A M E R I C A N U N I V E R S I T Y O F A R M E N I A - CHSR

Sampling
The target population was purposely selected based on geography, age and health staffing
cluster sampling. Initially 5 clusters (villages and one city Noyemberyan) were selected. One
hundred children sampled by convenience from each cluster. The inclusion criterion was age of
children from 24 to 108 months.
Data collection and management
The data was collected using the questionnaire-examination card, assessing child’s
development and past health status through interviewing the respondents (caretakers). The
instrument was adopted from the several surveys on patient satisfaction by the primary health
care and health and nutritional status in Armenia and USA [17, 23, 24]. The child examination
card included social-demographic questions, questions from the history of present diseases and
disorders, duration of breastfeeding as well as questions about pregnancy, its duration and
complications. The remainder of the card was dedicated to an objective assessment of health
status and treatment recommendations.
Before starting the program, the examination card was pre-tested and revised. In order to
obtain accurate and reliable data a training program for the personnel on specific measurement
and recording techniques was conducted, including not only theoretical explanations and
demonstrations, but also providing an opportunity to practice the measurement techniques, as
well as reading and recording the results [25]. The administration of the Republic Children’s
Clinical Hospital gave this opportunity.
Next step of the data collection process was the primary observation, including
anthropometrical assessment (height and weight) and laboratory testing. Physicians selected
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