A. Person Information

Fertility and child survival

25. How many children have been born alive by [the respondent]?
[Include those who have died]

154. Columns A26-A31: Fertility and child survival (females only)
It must be noted that fertility is defined as actual birth performance of a woman.
Questions A26-A29 must be completed for all females aged 12 years and over, regardless of their marital status and their relationship to the head of household. For males of any age and females less than 12 years of age, enter a dash in these columns. For young girls (i.e. 12-15 years old) who are still living at home with their parents, this question may be considered rather personal. Take care how you ask the question.

Questions A30-A31 are only asked of females aged 12 to 49 years old. For others, enter a dash in these columns. The enumerator should always check at all times that the number of children in A26 should be equal to the sum of this in A27, A28, and A29. The enumerator should therefore always crosscheck that these balances before moving on to the next section.

The relevant portion of the sample questionnaire is shown on page 61 for easy reference.

155. Column A26: Children born alive
Q. How many children have been born alive by the respondent?
In column A26 you must record (as a two-digit code) the total number of children ever born alive to the woman. Children born alive are those children who cried at least once after birth. All other births are stillbirths. Remember to include all those children who have died, but do not include stillbirths. When recording, you must always ensure that the total number of male children ever born to a woman in A26 equals to those living with the mother (in A27) plus those living elsewhere (in A28) and those dead (in A29). Similarly the sum of females in A27 and A28 and A29 should sum to females in A26.