Afghanistan Mortality Survey 2010 - Measure DHS

1.7 QUESTIONNAIRESFour questionnaires were administered in the AMS 2010: the Household Questionnaire, theWoman’s Questionnaire, the Verbal Autopsy (VA) Questionnaire and a Cluster Level Questionnaire.These questionnaires were based on the DHS model questionnaires and WHO VAs adapted to reflect thepopulation and health issues relevant to Afghanistan. They were finalized at a series of meetings withMoPH and stakeholders from other government ministries and agencies, NGOs, and international donors.The survey questionnaires were then translated from English into the two main local languages—Pashtoand Dari—and back translated into English by persons not involved in the original translation to ensurethat nothing was lost in the translation before being pretested. Following the pretest, the questionnaireswere revised to take into account lessons learnt during the pretest.The Household Questionnaire was used to list all the usual members and visitors in the selectedhouseholds and to identify women who were eligible for the individual interview. Some basic informationwas collected on the characteristics of each person listed, including age, sex, education, and relationshipto the head of the household. The survival status of the parents was determined for all the listed membersand visitors to the households. The Household Questionnaire also collected information on characteristicsof the household’s dwelling unit, such as the source of water, type of toilet facilities, materials used forflooring, and ownership of various durable goods. Additionally, information pertaining to migration in thefive years before the survey, household deaths for the same time frame, and health expenditures forinpatient and outpatient care were collected. 1The Woman’s Questionnaire was used to collect information from all women age 12-49, on theirage, education, ethnicity, marital status, and sibling history (whether alive or dead). Ever-married womenwere also asked about their pregnancy history, the number of children they had in their lifetime, and thesurvival status of their children. Ever-married women who had given birth in the five years preceding thesurvey were also asked questions on maternal health care for their most recent birth. Currently marriedwomen were additionally asked about their knowledge and use of family planning methods.Each death that occurred in the selected households in the three years before the survey wasfollowed up with one of three Verbal Autopsy Questionnaires, depending on the age at death: Form 1 fordeaths to children 0-28 days; Form 2 for deaths to children 29 days-11 years; and Form 3 for deaths toadults age 12 years and above. An attempt was always made to interview the person(s) present at the timeof death to ensure accurate information surrounding the circumstances that led to the death of thedeceased.The Cluster Level Questionnaire was used to gather information from the head of the village orsome other knowledgeable informant, on access to basic amenities such as the presence of a cell phonesignal, a paved road, a police station or post. In addition, information was collected on the largest medicalfacility, the highest level of school, and the frequency of public transport to and from the cluster. Thequestionnaire was also used to collect information on the availability of daily necessities, including petrol,vegetables, meats, bread, rice, and fuel for cooking.1.8 LISTING, PRETEST, TRAINING, AND FIELDWORK1.8.1 ListingA listing operation was carried out in the selected clusters starting on March 27, 2010. For thispurpose, training was conducted for 88 listers and cartographers from CSO who had been recruited from1 Data on health expenditures for inpatient and outpatient care was analyzed and reported in a separate document(MoPH GIRoA, 2011).Introduction | 11