Error and bias in under-5 mortality estimates derived from birth histories with small sample sizes.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Estimates of under-5 mortality at the national level for countries without high-quality vital registration systems are routinely derived from birth history data in censuses and surveys. Subnational or stratified analyses of under-5 mortality could also be valuable, but the usefulness of under-5 mortality estimates derived from birth histories from relatively small samples of women is not known. We aim to assess the magnitude and direction of error that can be expected for estimates derived from birth histories with small samples of women using various analysis methods.

Methods

We perform a data-based simulation study using Demographic and Health Surveys. Surveys are treated as populations with known under-5 mortality, and samples of women are drawn from each popul

SUBMITTER: Dwyer-Lindgren L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3729428 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature