8. Age
8a. Years _ _ _
8b. Months _ _
Column 8 (a and b) is by far the most important and most difficult. It concerns age. Ask if the person has an ID card or a birth certificate or another document that you could consult to identify the age of the person being enumerated. Often, the person you are talking to (the person being enumerated) will not have an ID card and will not know his age; you are required to determine this person's age with his help. You can use the historical calendar which lists dates and prominent historical events in the country, region or village. Religious and agricultural calendars may also be necessary to help you determine the age of the person being enumerated. Refer to the model calendar in appendix 6. We have already mentioned that the age of an individual is important; if the goal is to evaluate the youth and health of a population, it is necessary to know the exact age of the people who make up that population. This means that once you have made the list of household members, you should meticulously and methodically verify the information in column 8 in order to avoid errors like these:
Two children from the same mother who are less than 9 months apart in age
A mother who is not at least 13 years older than her first child
A 10-year-old mother who has a 4 year old son
A mother who is younger than her son, etc.
[p. 20]
Once the age of the enumerated person is determined, all you have to do is write it down in column 8a or b.
It is equally important to indicate the age of newborn babies in months (because babies younger than one year make up a special generation that is the subject of a special study).
Example:
For a newborn aged 5 months and 13 days, you should indicate "5 months" as his age
For a newborn aged 5 months and 17 days, you should indicate "5 months" as his age
Determining the age of newborns is much easier with the use of religious or agricultural calendars. Example: a mother can tell you that her child was born two days after Christmas. You can then deduce the child's age. Another mother might tell you that her child was born seven days after the opening of the new classroom in the village.
[p. 21]
Sometimes to determine the age of a newborn, you can also use the historical calendar. All calendars should be completed by each enumerator with facts related to the regions and villages where he is working. For all other people, you should indicate their age in "years". If a person declares that he is 30 years and 7 months old, you will write 31 years; if a person declares that he is 30 years and 2 months old, you will write 30 years. You should indicate the age in full years. Similarly, for children younger than a year old, you should indicate the age in full months.