Examples - Conducting National Surveys

Child survival is key to the growth of all countries including Ghana. The Ministry of Health (MoH) of the Government of Ghana in collaboration with the World Bank began the Nutrition and Malaria Control for Child Survival Project (NMCCSP) in 2008 following the conviction that increased efforts to increase child survival and improve nutrition were necessary and allow Ghana to achieve its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). As the project drew to a close, there was need for an endline survey to determine its impact.

INDEPTH conducted an endline survey using the Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) technique. Data collectors were thoroughly trained in LQAS and in the most appropriate interviewing techniques.  The survey was led by a team of consultants with immense experience in health survey in Ghana and abroad, including expertise in the LQAS methodology, data management, statistical analysis and timely reporting of survey results. The team revised the data collection tools used in the baseline survey, recruited and trained survey staff on LQAS methodology, selected survey communities using a Microsoft Excel tool developed by the World Bank, and conducted the survey within timelines agreed upon with Ministry of Health. To ensure quality, all completed survey questionnaires were manually checked for completeness, and then double-entered into computers. Data was analyzed using SAS/Stata based on the NMCCSP coding guidelines.