Data Collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Training for the fieldwork was conducted for 2 weeks in August 2006. Training included lectures on interviewing techniques and the contents of the questionnaires, and mock interviews between trainees to gain practice in asking questions.

The data were collected by 16 teams; each team was comprised of 4 female interviewers, one driver, one male editor and a male supervisor. Fieldwork took place over one month in September 2006.

Interviews averaged 35 minutes for the household questionnaire, 23 minutes for the women's questionnaire, and 27 for the under five children's questionnaire.  Interviews were conducted in Arabic.

Ministry of Public Health & Population

Interviewing was conducted by teams of interviewers.  Each interviewing team comprised of 3-4 female interviewers, a field editor and a supervisor, and a driver.  Each team used a 4 wheel drive vehicle to travel from cluster to cluster (and where necessary within cluster).

The role of the supervisor was to coordinator field data collection activities, including management of the field teams, supplies and equipment, finances, maps and listings, coordinate with local authorities concerning the survey plan and make arrangements for accomodation and travel.  Additionally, the field supervisor assigned the work to the interviewers, spot checked work, maintained field control documents, and sent completed questionnaires and progress reports to the central office

The field editor was responsible for reviewing each questionnaire at the end of the day, checking for missed questions, skip errors, fields incorrectly completed, and checking for inconsistencies in the data.  The field editor also observed interviews and conducted review sessions with interviewers.

Responsibilities of the supervisors and field editors are described in the Instructions for Supervisors and Field Editors, together with the different field controls that were in place to control the quality of the fieldwork.

Field visits were also made by a team of central staff on a periodic basis during fieldwork.  The senior staff of Ministry of Public Health & Population also made 3 visits to field teams to provide support and to review progress.