Reliability of Parental Survival History Data Collected Using Mobile Phone Survey: A Validation Study from Bangladesh

Md Tazvir Amin, icddrb
Md Mahabubur Rahman, icddrb
M Moinuddin Haider, Icddr,B
Mamun Ibn Bashar, icddr,b
Nurul Alam, ICDDR,B
Stephane Helleringer, New York University Abu Dhabi
Georges Reniers, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)

Mobile phone surveys (MPS) offer a cost-effective and feasible alternative to traditional in-person surveys, particularly in low-resource settings like Bangladesh, where measuring adult mortality is crucial. We examine the quality of Parental Survival History (PSH) data collected through MPS by comparing it with demographic surveillance data. We conducted an MPS from July to December 2021 among residents of the Matlab Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) area. MPS data about the respondent’s father and mother were individually matched to the HDSS database. MPS and HDSS data were compared in terms of the vital status of parents, age and date reports, and adult mortality rates. The number of parents reported in MPS was 2231. MPS-HDSS concordance in the vital status reports of the parent was very high (matched 2023 and unmatched 208). Around 4% of parental deaths are reported with an error over 8 Years of reference period compared to HDSS. Parents' mortality rate was found 52 (95% CI: 49.3, 54.8) in MPS and 52.3 (95% CI:49.6, 55.0) in HDSS per 1000 person-years. Parental survival history data are reported with high accuracy in an MPS in this population, highlighting the potential of MPS for measuring adult mortality rates in resource-constrained settings.

Keywords: Data and Methods, Mortality and Longevity, Population Ageing, Civil Registration and Vital Statistics

See paper.