Measuring Community Variables for Household Health and Demographic Surveys in Developing Countries

摘要

Proximate determinants, or risk factors, that affect morbidity and mortality (such as maternal age and parity, infant feeding and household diet, and utilization of medical care are usually the result of household decision--for example, decisions regarding the timing and pace of childbearing; the preparation, storage, and allocation of food; when and where (if at all) to seek medical care; and so forth. These decisions are made in response to (1) the availability and price of family planning methods, food, and medical care (supply), and (2) how the decisionmaker values what they produce, i.e., fewer, better nourished, healthier children (demand). Community data can provide information on the supply factors, which interact with a household's demand in determining the quantity actually used. If a particular item or service is not available or is only available at great cost, it is clearly difficult for people to use it. Community data are particularly valuable for policy purposes because they provide information on factors affecting health and survival that are often directly manipulable by policies and programs.