Population Council Research that makes a difference

Population Association of America (PAA) 2012 Annual Meeting
3–5 May

Abstract

"Assessing the validity of sexual behaviour reporting among young women in Kampala, Uganda: Evidence from a randomised interview mode experiment with biological data"
Christine A. Kelly, Paul C. Hewett, Barbara S. Mensch, Sam Nsobya, Sam Kalibala, Wilson Nyegenye, and Pamela Kakande

Understanding of the transmission dynamics of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is critically dependent on accurate behavioural data. This paper investigates the effect of interview delivery mode on the quality of sexual behaviour reporting using the women’s instrument of the 2006 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey. Highlighting five key indicators of risky behaviour, we compare both the level of reporting across three different interview modes, and the validity of the data by evaluating reporting of sexual activity against three different biological outcomes. Preliminary results show that audio computer-assisted self-interviews (ACASIs) elicit higher levels of reporting than do traditional face-to-face interviews, but these reports are subject to validity concerns.

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