Presentation by Dr. Miriam King. IDHS is a new NICHD-funded data integration project that lowers the barriers to cross-temporal and cross-country research using the Demographic and Health Surveys, focusing initially on Africa and India. IDHS recodes data consistently across samples without losing detail, displays variable availability at a glance, offers variable-specific documentation (including question universes and wording and discussion of comparability issues), and merges files on the fly to create customized data extracts. This presentation will summarize MPC’s approach to integrating microdata, with examples from IDHS, describe the value-added features of IDHS, and summarize future plans for IDHS. At the time of the presentation, IDHS will include data on women of childbearing age, their households, and children under 5, from 18 countries and 77 samples.

1. APLIC conference
April 2015
Dr. Miriam L. King
Minnesota Population Center
University of Minnesota
kingx025@umn.edu
AN INTEGRATED DHS SYSTEM

2. Overview
1. What is IDHS?
2. What countries and topics are in IDHS?
3. How to use IDHS

3. 1. WHAT IS IDHS?
www.idhsdata.org

4. A web tool facilitating comparative
research with DHS

5. 2. COUNTRIES & TOPICS

6. Scope of current grant
 Africa (including Egypt) and India
 Countries with more than two DHS
 Commitment to integrate newest surveys
(e.g., Nigeria 2013)

7. Subject areas
Demographics
Geography
Household possessions
Education, media, SES
Family Planning
Sex practices & attitudes
Condom use & access
HIV/AIDS
Other STIs
Antenatal & delivery care
Insurance, care access
Fistula, TB
Diarrhea, respiratory illness
Child nutrition
Alcohol & tobacco use
Female genital cutting
Domestic violence
Household decision-making

8. Samples—countries & time ranges
Egypt (1988-2008)
Ethiopia (2000-11)
Ghana (1988-2008)
India (1992-2005)
Kenya (1989-2014)
Malawi (1992-2010)
Mali (1987-2012)
Nigeria (1990-2013)
Zimbabwe (1988-2010)
Benin (1996-2012)
Burkina Faso (1993-2010)
Cote d’Ivoire (1994-2012)
Guinea (1999-2012)
Mozambique (1997-2011)
Niger (1992-2012)
Tanzania (1991-2010)
Uganda (1988-2006)
Zambia (1992-2013)

9. Coming in 2016
 BIRTHS as a third unit of analysis
 Many country-specific variables
 New variable groups (e.g., anthropometric)
 Cameroon, Madagascar, Rwanda
 Additional samples for Egypt, Kenya, Zambia
 Applying to continue the grant to include more
samples and countries.

10. 3. HOW TO USE IDHS
Variable availability at a glance
Easy access to variable information
Customized datasets, easy to modify
Variable integration without loss of detail

11. idhsdata.org

12. Select unit of analysis

13. Select the samples of interest

15. Variable availability at a glance

16. Variable availability at a glance

17. Variable availability at a glance

18. Variable availability at a glance
Surveys listed across the top

19. Variable availability at a glance

20. Variable availability at a glance

21. Easy access to variable information
MPC’s unique documentation
system provides easy access
survey information

22. Easy access to variable information

23. …continues

24. ?
…continues

27. …continues

28. …continues

29. …continues

30. Customized datasets
 Log in
 Select samples and variables needed
 Merge files on the fly, create custom
dataset
 Select desired format (SPSS, Stata, SAS,
CSV, ascii)
 Download fully-integrated file

31. Easy to modify datasets
 Samples, variables, formats are
automatically saved
 Simple to add or delete samples or
variables to existing dataset
 No harmonization is necessary
 Easy to alter or expand analyses

32. Variable integration without loss
of detail
Example from IPUMS-International;
IDHS uses the same system.

33. Marital Status: IPUMS-International
Bangladesh 2011
1 = Unmarried
2 = Married
3 = Widowed
4 = Divorced/separated
Mexico 1970
1 = Married, civil & relig
2 = Married, civil
3 = Married, religious
4 = Consensual union
5 = Widowed
6 = Divorced
7 = Separated
8 = Single
Kenya 1999
1 = Never married
2 = Monogamous
3 = Polygamous
4 = Widowed
5 = Divorced
6 = Separated

34. Translation Table
Input
Bangladesh
2011
4 = Divrc or separated
1 = Unmarried
2 = Married
3 = Widowed
Mexico
1970
1 = Married, civil & relig
2 = Married, civil
3 = Married, religious
4 = Consensual union
5 = Widowed
6 = Divorced
7 = Separated
8 = Single
Kenya
1999
1 = Never married
2 = Monogamous
3 = Polygamous
4 = Widowed
5 = Divorced
6 = Separated

35. LabelCode
Translation Table
Harmonized
1 = Never married1 = Married, civil & relig
4 = Divrc or separated
1 = Unmarried
2 = Married
3 = Widowed
2 = Married, civil
3 = Married, religious
4 = Consensual union
5 = Widowed
6 = Divorced
7 = Separated
8 = Single
Single
Married or in union
Married, formally
Civil
Religious
Civil and religious
Monogamous
Polygamous
Consensual union
Separated
Divorced
2 = Monogamous
3 = Polygamous
4 = Widowed
5 = Divorced
6 = Separated
1 0 0
2 0 0
2 1 0
2 1 1
2 1 2
2 1 3
2 1 4
2 1 5
2 2 0
0 0
3 1 0
3 2 0
0 0
Mexico
1970
Input
Bangladesh
2011
Kenya
1999
Divorced or separated3
Widowed4

36. ANY QUESTIONS?
Thank you!
www.idhsdata.org

37. An IDHS example…Religion
100 Muslim/Islam 4=Muslim 7=Moslem 1=Muslim 2=Muslim
200 Christian 2=Christian 3=Christian
201 Catholic 2=Catholic 1=Catholic
202 Protestant 1=Protestant
203 Anglican 2=Anglican
204 Methodist 3=Methodist
205 Presbyterian 4=Presbyterian
206 Pentacostal 5=Pentacostal
207 Other Christian 6=Oth Christian
300 Other, specified
301 Hindu 0=Hindu 1=Hindu
302 Sikh 3=Sikh 4=Sikh
303 Buddhist 5=Buddhist
304 Jain 6=Jain
305 Jewish 7=Jewish
306 Parsi/Zoroastrian 8=Parsi/Zor.
307 Donyi-Polo 10=Donyi-Polo
400 Trad/Spiritual 8=Trad/Spiritualist
401 Traditional 5=Traditional
402 Spiritual
403 Animist
500 No religion 0=No religion 9=No religion 9=No religion
600 Other, unspecified 96=Other 4=Other 96=Other
Ghana 2008
V130
Ghana 1993
V130
India 1992
V130
India 2005
V130

38. Egypt 1995 S802 Ever circumcised
Egypt 2005 S801 Respondent circumcised
Egypt 2008 G102 Respondent circumcised
Ethiopia 2000 FG103 Circumcised
Ethiopia 2005 FG103 Circumcised
Ghana 2003 S821 Circumcised
Kenya 1998 S1002 Respondent circumcised
Kenya 2003 S821 Circumcised
Kenya 2008 G102 Respondent circumcised
Mali 1995 S551 Circumcised
Mali 2001 FG103 Circumcised?
Mali 2006 G102 Respondent circumcised
Nigeria 1999 S521 Type of circumcision
Nigeria 2003 FG103 Circumcised
Nigeria 2008 G102 Respondent circumcised
Ever Circumcised
Integration of comparable questions,
even if not recode variables