Nigeria - Demographic and Health Survey, 2003, Fourth Round

The processing of the 2003 NDHS results began shortly after the fieldwork commenced. Completed questionnaires were returned periodically from the field to NPC headquarters in Abuja, where they were entered and edited by data processing personnel who were specially trained for this task.

The data processing personnel included two supervisors, a questionnaire administrator (who ensured that the expected numbers of questionnaires from all clusters were received), three office editors, 12 data entry operators, and a secondary editor.

The concurrent processing of the data was an advantage since the NPC was able to advise field teams of problems detected during the data entry. In particular, tables were generated to check various data quality parameters. As a result, specific feedback was given to the teams to improve performance. The data entry and editing phase of the survey was completed in September 2003

This innovation served a dual purpose by facilitating field checks for errors and hastening the process of data entry and analysis. As may be expected, the findings of the 2003 NDHS are more comprehensive than findings for the two previous DHS surveys conducted in the country. Indeed, the production of the survey report within nine months after the completion of fieldwork is unprecedented, making the findings the most timely and up to date. The enforcement of standards and consistency and a response rate of more than 90 percent also make the findings very reliable. In addition to presenting national estimates, the report provides estimates of key indicators of fertility, mortality, and health for rural and urban areas in Nigeria and for the six geo-political zones.

The processing of the 2003 NDHS results began shortly after the fieldwork commenced. Com The field editor and supervisor would also sit in on interviews periodically.
Twelve staff assigned from the NPC coordinated fieldwork activities and visited the teams at regular intervals to monitor the work. In addition, quality control personnel independently reinterviewed selected households after the departure of the teams.

These checks were performed periodically through the duration of the fieldwork. ORC Macro also participated in field supervision.