POPLINE Document Number: 127805
Author(s):
Timaeus IM
Nunn AJ
Source citation:
In: The socio-demographic impact of AIDS in Africa. Based on the conference organized by the Committee on AIDS of the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP) and the University of Natal, Durban, South Africa, 3-6 February 1997. Papers. Liege, Belgium, International Union for the Scientific Study of Population [IUSSP], 1997. :23 p.
Abstract:
All mainland sub-Saharan African countries and most other developing countries lack complete and accurate civil registration systems. Moreover, most deaths occur outside of the hospital. It is therefore very difficult to measure levels of adult mortality in such populations. A relatively cheap and direct alternative method of generating information upon mortality is to ask questions in a national census or single-round household survey about deaths in the past year. These questions, however, have proved unreliable and often yield incomplete data. Respondents may find it difficult to recall exactly when a death occurred and often have little idea of the ages of those who have died. The deaths of adults who lived alone are unlikely to be reported. Moreover, not everyone is attached clearly to a single household. It is nonetheless important to monitor the levels and trends of such mortality in the context of the large-scale AIDS epidemics which have developed in much of Africa and some other countries. The authors review the existing limitations of methods used to estimate adult mortality in the developing world and the additional obstacles to producing such estimates which arise in populations with substantial mortality from AIDS.
Keywords:
Africa, Sub SaharanIndex page
Developing Countries
HIV Infections
AIDS
Epidemics
Adults
Mortality
Measurement
Obstacles
Africa
Viral Diseases
Diseases
Age Factors
Population Characteristics
Demographic Factors
Population
Population Dynamics
Research Methodology
Organization and Administration