A. Person Information

Fertility and child survival

28. How many of the children 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.

158. Column A29: Children who have died
Q. How many children have died?
In column A29 enter the number of children born alive to a woman who have since died separately for males and females. Sometimes a woman may forget to mention children who died in infancy or may not want to be reminded of painful events; you must therefore put the question sympathetically and tactfully. These children should be recorded with respect to their sex such that they satisfy the sum condition as explained in paragraph 144.