Population-based mortality statistics are a key element informing public health policies and the response to epidemic outbreaks or other crisis situations. Ideally, mortality statistics are derived from civil registration and vital statistics systems (CRVS), but in many low- and lower-middle income countries, these are insufficient to fulfil that role. In these settings, mortality estimates are usually based on surveys and censuses, but these are organised infrequently and often interrupted for the same reasons that cause mortality to rise. The RaMMPS project seeks to address this data gap through the development and piloting of methods for conducting mortality surveillance via mobile phone surveys.
The RaMMPS project was launched in December 2020 and data are being collected in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi and Mozambique.
- RaMMPS objectives
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The RaMMPS project is implemented as a series of five country case studies (Figure 1) with two components:
(i) a national RaMMPS that is implemented as a series of repeated cross-sectional surveys implemented (in most cases spread over a 12-month period), and
(ii) targeted sub-studies focused on populations covered by other data sources for validation purposes. The overall aim of the project is to evaluate the use of mortality mobile phone surveys for estimating (excess) mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic in five LLMICs. More specific objectives of this project are to:
- Develop and validate RaMMPS instruments and methods for mortality estimation
- Generate mortality estimates during COVID-19 by age (with a focus on overall, old age and under-five mortality), sex and regional locality, and compare them to a pre-COVID-19 baseline.
- To evaluate RaMMPS as a cost-effective approach for mortality surveillance beyond COVID-19.
- Partners
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The RaMMPS project is implemented through collaboration between universities, governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the USA, the UK, Belgium, Abu Dhabi and each of the five countries where RaMMPS will be implemented. Figure 1 illustrates the geographic spread of the RaMMPS country case studies.
Figure 1 - Funders
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The RaMMPS project is supported by grant funding to the US Fund for UNICEF from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (through an agreement with UNICEF-USA) with supplementary funding from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office for the DRC RaMMPS, USAID for the Mozambique RaMMPS and institutional funding from NYU for the Malawi RaMMPS.
The RaMMPS project entails collaboration between 13 universities, governmental and non-governmental organisations in 5 countries. Some of the coordinating functions are performed by LSHTM, and Ties Boerma chairs the RaMMPS Strategic Advisory Committee (SAC).
The RaMMPS project is implemented as a series of five country case studies that share a focus on mortality measurement via mobile phone surveys, but they differ in terms of the instruments used, the sampling approach and fieldwork implementation. Because mortality surveillance via mobile phone interviews have not been systematically used, the RaMMPS project includes a number of (nested) validation studies.
- Survey instruments
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Household Deaths
The purpose of the household deaths module is to provide a rapid assessment of the short-term fluctuations in the overall crude death rate, and the death rate in children aged 0-4 years. Collecting detailed data on household composition can be time consuming. Instead, a short form questionnaire is used to collect age-aggregated mortality data, i.e., the number of household members up to/above age five; number of deaths up to/above age 5 over a specified time period.
Full/Truncated Birth or Pregnancy Histories
Although the mortality risks from COVID-19 mortality in children is low, it is hypothesized that the indirect impact can be substantial. Full Birth Histories (FBH) are routinely used in DHS and MICS to collect data on U5M. Truncated birth or pregnancy histories (TBH), a shorter version of FBH, are used to collect data on U5M among children born in the last five or seven years only. In the RaMMPS studies, the TBH instrument from the questionnaire has been adapted for use from the Malaria Indicator Surveys.
Parental Survival Histories
Parental Survival Histories (PSH) are well-suited for monitoring COVID-19 mortality through RaMMPS as they require limited time to collect and produce mortality estimates for an age range where individuals are most at risk.
Sibling Survival Histories
Sibling Survival Histories (SSH) are routinely collected in the DHS and can be adapted or shortened for the purpose of the RaMMPS. Even though direct COVID-19 mortality is probably modest in this age range, the SSH offer an opportunity to elicit information on mortality among the pregnant and postpartum women.
COVID Vaccination
Most RaMMPS includes a few questions to assess COVID-19 vaccine coverage and vaccine hesitancy among those not yet vaccinated.
- Validation studies
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RaMMPS questionnaires are adapted from standard instruments for estimating mortality in surveys and censuses. As mobile phone surveys have not yet been used for measuring mortality, this approach requires validation. This entails:
1. a priori validation of RaMMPS survey instruments using other data sources (e.g. comparison of estimates using short form versus full survey instruments; evaluation of bias associated with mobile phone ownership). This work is led by Bruno Masquelier at UC Louvain.
2. ex post-facto validation of RaMMPS mortality estimates against external data sources. Validation of mortality data generated via RaMMPS can be done at the individual level (using individually-linked RaMMPS and reference datasets such as COMSA or HDSS) or at the aggregated level (using aggregated mortality estimates from other sources, including COMSA, HDSS and DHS).
3. Proxy Birth Histories (PBH) validation studies: PBHs are a tool for collecting birth histories through proxy respondents. More specifically, it involves asking women of reproductive age (WRA) to not only report their own FBH but also the birth histories of their reproductive aged sisters or confidants. PBH are appealing because it increases the effective sample size and thus has the potential to improve the cost-effectiveness of mobile phone interviews for estimating (excess) U5M. Further, PBH are collected irrespective of the survival status of the mother, and this could reduce bias in mortality estimates in settings where the survival probability of mothers and children are correlated (e.g., due to HIV or possibly COVID-19). However, the validity of PBH is poorly understood. PBH validation studies are nested in the Bangladesh and Malawi RaMMPS. PBH is administered in the validation samples and reports of births and deaths among sisters of reproductive age will be compared to the reference datasets through individual-level comparisons using an approach that was previously used for validating FBH. These validation studies are led by Dr. Li Liu (JHU).
Each of the five RaMMPS country case studies share broader objectives and several methodological features but also vary in terms of their sampling strategy, the survey instruments used, nested validation studies and so forth. This heterogeneity is intentional to best leverage context-specific attributes of each RaMMPS and to better understand strengths and weaknesses of different mortality mobile phone surveys methods.
- Bangladesh
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RaMMPS Bangladesh uses mobile phone-based interview methods to validate and quantify reports of mortality and pregnancy loss in Bangladesh. The study leverages the strengths of multiple in-country institutions to implement this work, including the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), a government institute that has conducted telephone interviews for maternal, child and reproductive health and noncommunicable diseases for the past five years; JiVitA, one of the largest population health and nutrition intervention research organizations in South Asia; and the International Center for Diarrheal Diseases, Bangladesh (icddr,b) who coordinate the Matlab HDSS, an open cohort initiated in 1966 covering 142 villages in a sub-district located 55 kms south-east of Dhaka. Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and NYU University, Abu Dhabi (NYU Abu Dhabi) offer technical support.
The JiVitA Project validates two mobile phone survey methodologies for mortality and pregnancy loss against known mortality and loss events that occurred during previous trials at the site:
- Aim 1: Validate Rapid Mortality Mobile Phone Surveys (RaMMPS) at the JiVitA Project, using a sample of known, prospectively collected events of infant death, still birth and miscarriage as the basis for this validation. These events were collected prospectively as part of the mCARE-II randomized controlled trial. A subset of these participants (6,600) is being called for the RaMMPS validation. Women’s report of pregnancy history during these calls is being compared to previously collected pregnancy history and outcome status.
- Aim 2: Validate a Proxy Pregnancy History reporting methodology that uses reporting by closest confidants to ascertain the (index) woman’s pregnancy history, in a subsample of the RaMMPS surveys conducted as part of Aim 1. The implementation validation of proxy pregnancy history methodology is being tested in 3,000 of these phone interviews. This involves asking women of reproductive age to not only report their own full pregnancy history, but also the pregnancy histories of their closest confidant of reproductive age to validate index pregnancies.
IEDCR leverages an existing call center and years of expertise at conducting phone-based disease surveillance to conduct a national level mortality survey using computer assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) systems. The study estimates excess mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic among 25,000 participants constituted through random digit dialing. A series of 5 mortality surveys with representative samples of phone users are being conducted. These surveys cover crude mortality rates, selected age-specific mortality rates as well as a few other health-related topics (e.g., COVID-19).
Work led by icddr,b builds on more than 50 years of demographic observation and record-keeping in Matlab upazilas, a largely rural area located 2 hours southeast of Dhaka. In the Matlab Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS), the icddr,b team will validate data on mortality at adult ages generated via phone surveys. To do so, the team has interviewed more than 2,000 residents of the Matlab HDSS by mobile phone, asking questions primarily about parental and sibling survival, and the registration of recent deaths among these relatives. The reported demographic data has then been linked, at the individual level, with precise HDSS records. This study design thus allows an in-depth ascertainment of errors and biases in survey data collected by mobile phone. To ensure sufficient statistical power, the sample included in this validation study includes an oversample of HDSS residents who recently experienced a death among their relatives. It also includes a sub-sample of respondents who previously participated in an NIH-funded study of the measurement of adult mortality, thus allowing the comparison of different methods of survey data collection (i.e., in-person vs. mobile-based interviews).
The JiVitA Project validates two mobile phone survey methodologies for mortality and pregnancy loss against known mortality and loss events that occurred during previous trials at the site:
- Aim 1: Validate Rapid Mortality Mobile Phone Surveys (RaMMPS) at the JiVitA Project, using a sample of known, prospectively collected events of infant death, still birth and miscarriage as the basis for this validation. These events were collected prospectively as part of the mCARE-II randomized controlled trial. A subset of these participants (6,600) is being called for the RaMMPS validation. Women’s report of pregnancy history during these calls is being compared to previously collected pregnancy history and outcome status.
- Aim 2: Validate a Proxy Pregnancy History reporting methodology that uses reporting by closest confidants to ascertain the (index) woman’s pregnancy history, in a subsample of the RaMMPS surveys conducted as part of Aim 1. The implementation validation of proxy pregnancy history methodology is being tested in 3,000 of these phone interviews. This involves asking women of reproductive age to not only report their own full pregnancy history, but also the pregnancy histories of their closest confidant of reproductive age to validate index pregnancies.
Description of the RaMMPS software at JiVitA
The RaMMPS software at JiVitA is developed through the mjivita platform, which tests the flow of the calling system between index women and their closest confidants. The system collects information on recipients and systematically schedules 4 calls with the index women and their closest confidants. The system is programmed to manage various call scenarios and set up automatic rescheduling of calls if needed. For example, the system can store incomplete calls information in the database and color code different call statuses according to interview priority (see figure).
- Burkina Faso
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The Burkina Faso RaMMPS is led by the Institut Supérieur des Sciences de la Population (ISSP) in collaboration with the Institut National de la Statistique et de la Démographie (INSD), the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and the Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain).
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
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The DRC RaMMPS is conducted as a collaboration between the University of Kinshasa School of Public Health (UNIKIN) and LSHTM. UNIKIN also hosts the PMA study in the DRC.
Study population
The study population for DRC RaMMPS is comprised of a targeted 15,000 adults from 18 to 65 years of age living in Kinshasa or Nord Kivu provinces.
Sampling
Initial samples of phone numbers were created using a short Interactive Voice Response (IVR) survey prior to the CATI interview. The intention was to filter out non-functional numbers and elicit basic demographic information. Soon after data collection began, the sample of phone numbers was made up of numbers that had been active in Kinshasa or Nord Kivu in the last 14 days. This approach was facilitated through collaboration with Feroxus, a company based in DRC.
- Mozambique
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RaMMPS Mozambique aims to test the use of mobile phone interviews to collect data to measure childhood mortality, crude death rate, and selected other indicators at national level. The project is implemented by the Instituto Nacional de Saúde (INS) with technical assistance from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (BSPH). In addition to RaMMPS, INS and BSPH collaborate on the Countrywide Mortality Surveillance for Action (COMSA), a sample registration system that collects continuous data on pregnancies, pregnancy outcomes for mortality monitoring, and mortality data that is collect through verbal and social autopsy (VA) to ascertain causes of death and the associated factors.
Study population
RaMMPS Mozambique targets women, aged 15-49, to collect data on child mortality, select maternal health coverage indicators, COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, household deaths, COVID-19 VA among household deaths, and questions on phone ownership and decision-making behavior for seeking healthcare.
Implementation
RaMMPS Mozambique will implement two sets of data collection based on two sampling strategies:
- Leveraging the existing COMSA data collection platform with available telephone numbers;
- Random digit dialing (RDD), where a randomly generated list of telephone numbers is constructed based on Mozambique’s telephone network structure.
For each component, a total of 15,000 completed interviews is expected.
The RDD sampling will include an interactive voice response (IVR) survey to screen the phone numbers to see if they are active, and potential participant’s willingness to participate in the RAMMPS survey. Potential eligible respondents identified through the IVR will receive a follow-up computer assisted telephone interview (CATI). The Mozambique RAMMPS project is working with a third company web-based platform that specializes in IVR, and automated phone calls and tracking.
Prior to initiating the main surveys, a pilot was completed in two provinces for the COMSA-based sample and in a small sample for the RDD. The pilot tested four versions of child mortality tools:
- Full pregnancy history (FPH);
- Truncated pregnancy history (TPH);
- Full birth history (FBH);
- Truncated birth history (TBH).
The pilot helped assess the feasibility of the different approaches, response rates, and potential cost to help chose the optimal child mortality tool for full scale up. Based on the pilot results, the FPH tool was selected for the main survey. A qualitative study is also planned to explore women’s challenges with mobile phone surveys and effects of gender and power relations on women’s ability to participate in mobile phone interviews.
- Malawi
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The Malawi RaMMPS is implemented by Malawi Epidemiology and Interventions Research Unit (MEIRU), and the Institute for Public Opinion Research (IPOR), with technical support from LSHTM and NYU. MEIRU hosts the Karonga Health and Demographic Surveillance System that will be used as a validation data resource.
Study population
The study population for the national RaMMPS survey in Malawi will be made up of 20,000 men and women between the ages of 18 and 65 years.
The Karonga Health and Demographic Surveillance System in northern Malawi will serve as the platform for the RaMMPS validation study. Mortality estimates generated through RaMMPS will be compared with HDSS estimates among a sample of 2,500 residents.
Sampling
The sample of numbers given to the CATI survey team are narrowed down before being transferred. This is done through collaboration with an external company called Sample Solutions, who:
- will draw a simple random sample based on the numbering structure of the mobile phone providers, then will
- verify that the phone number is active using the Home Location Register (HLR), which contains data regarding authorized subscribers using a global system for mobile communication (GSM) core network. The sample constituted in this way is not disaggregated by any demographic characteristics or region. We have pre-defined sample quota to ensure that the sample is representative of different sub-populations.
- Publications
- Ahmed, Sahar, et al. Sample selection bias in adult mortality estimates from mobile phone surveys: Evidence from 25 low- and middle-income countries, Demographic Research, vol 51, article 37, pg 1167-1182 (2024)
- Masquelier, B., Menashe-Oren, A., Reniers, G. et al. A new method for estimating recent adult mortality from summary sibling histories. Popul Health Metrics 22, 32 (2024).
- Menashe-Oren, Ashira, et al. Old-Age Mortality in Data-Sparse Countries: Assessing Selection Bias in Estimates Using Parental Survival Histories, Population, vol. 78, no. 3-4, 2023, pp. 457-478.
- Torrisi, O., Banda, J., Reniers, G., & Helleringer, S. (2024). Revisiting the Recommended Duration of Interviews Conducted by Mobile Phone in Low- and Middle-income Countries: A Randomized Trial in Malawi. Field Methods, 0(0).
- Helleringer, S., Lau, S. W., Luhar, S., Banda, J., Lankoande, B., Tlhajoane, M., & Reniers, G. (2023). Increased Age Heaping in Mobile Phone Surveys Conducted in Low-Income and Middle-Income Countries. Socius, 9.
- Masquelier, B., Menashe-Oren, A. & Reniers, G. An evaluation of truncated birth histories for the rapid measurement of fertility and child survival. Popul Health Metrics 21, 8 (2023)
- Sánchez-Páez DA, Masquelier B, Menashe-Oren A, et al. Measuring under-5 mortality and fertility through mobile phone surveys: an assessment of selection bias in 34 low-income and middle-income countries. BMJ Open 2023;13:e071791. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-071791
- Chasukwa M, Choko AT, Muthema F, Nkhalamba MM, Saikolo J, Tlhajoane M, et al. (2022) Collecting mortality data via mobile phone surveys: A non-inferiority randomized trial in Malawi. PLOS Glob Public Health 2(8): e0000852.
- Maternal, Adolescent, Reproductive, and Child Health (MARCH), London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. (2022, July 11). "This is essential for public health": Introducing the Rapid Mortality Mobile Phone Surveys Project.
- Presentations
- J. Romero; Under-5 mortality estimates from mobile phone surveys in Malawi: a comparison of full pregnancy histories, truncated pregnancy histories, and household deaths, Population Association of America Annual Meeting 2023. Oral presentation.
- D.Sanchez-Paez; Measuring Under-five Mortality And Fertility Through Mobile Phone Surveys: An Assessment Of Selection Bias In 34 Low- And Middle-income Countries. Population Association of America Annual Meeting 2023. Oral presentation.
- K. Dianou; The use of mobile phone surveys for rapid mortality monitoring during the COVID-19 pandemic: a national study in Burkina Faso. Population Association of America Annual Meeting 2023. Poster presentation.
- S. Luhar; Rapid mortality monitoring based on deaths reported in the households reached through mobile phone surveys: results from Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Malawi. Population Association of America Annual Meeting 2023. Poster presentation.
- AM Kante/Cremildo M: Predictors of COVID-19 vaccination and reasons for not taking the vaccine in Mozambique. Population Association of America Annual Meeting 2023. Poster presentation.
- L. Kan; Validation of Rapid Mortality Mobile Phone Surveys (RAMMPS) for neonatal deaths and stillbirths in rural Bangladesh. Population Association of America Annual Meeting 2023. Oral presentation.
- Banda J, Tlhajoane M, Helleringer S, Crampin AC, Reniers G; "Mortality surveillance using mobile phone surveys in Malawi: feasibility and data quality," Research Dissemination Conference, Blantyre Malawi, December 2023. Poster presentation
- Masquelier B; An evaluation of truncated birth histories for the rapid measurement of fertility and child survival. UN-IGME (TAG) Meeting, 16 May 2022.
- Lankoande B, Bassinga H, Dianou K, Soura A; Rapid Mortality Mobile Phone Surveys (RaMMPS) during COVID-19 : Insights from Burkina Faso. UNDESA/WHO TAG Working Group, 13 April 2022.
- Haider MM, Alam N, Bashar MI, Helleringer S, Adult death registration before and during the COVID 19 pandemic: evidence from a rural area of Bangladesh, 2022 Population Association of America Annual Meeting, April 2022, Poster presentation.
- Reniers G (on behalf of the RAMMPS Consortium), The Rapid Mortality Mobile Phone Surveys (RAMMPS) Project, 2022 Population Association of America Annual Meeting, April 2022. Oral presentation.
- Helleringer S, ***** United Nations Statistical Commission 53rd session side event: Measuring the impact of COVID-19 Mortality. How can surveys and censuses help? 7 Feb, 2022. https://unstats.un.org/unsd/statcom/53rd-session/side-events/07022022-M-Measuring-the-Impact-of-COVID-19-on-Mortality/
- Masquelier B, Menashe-Oren A, Reniers G, Timæus I, Low-cost sibling methods for measuring adult mortality, 2021 International Population Conference, Dec 2021, Oral presentation.
- Menashe-Oren A, Schlüter B, Masquelier B & Helleringer S; Using parental survival histories in low- and middle-income countries to estimate mortality over age 50: Assessing selection bias, 2021 International Population Conference, Dec 2021, Oral presentation
- Reniers G (on behalf of the RAMMPS Consortium), Mobile Phone Surveys for Mortality Surveillance in Settings where CRVS is Deficient, Berlin Demography Days – Global Demography Forum, 24 March 2021
In two new preprints, we introduce a method for estimating recent adult mortality from summary sibling histories and discuss perinatal mortality estimates from truncated and full pregnancy histories administered over the phone.
Several of the RaMMPS collaborators will be presenting at the upcoming African Population Conference (APC) to be held in Lilongwe, Malawi, 20-24th May 2024. Here is their schedule:
Monday, May 20, 2024 | 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM, New methodological approaches in the social sciences: exploiting the potential of Big Data, Artificial Intelligence and technological innovations in data collection and analysis
Sample Selection Bias in Adult Mortality Estimates from Mobile Phone Surveys. Evidence from 25 Low- and Middle-Income Countries (Presented by Sahar M A Ahmed, Centre d'Estudis Demografics)
Mobile Phone Survey Estimates of Perinatal Mortality in Malawi: A Comparison of Data from Truncated and Full Pregnancy Histories (presented by Georges Reniers, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM))
Tuesday, May 21, 2024 | 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM, Health and Healthcare during and after Covid 19
Causes of death among adults at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa (presented by Ashira Menashe-Oren, Universite catholique de Louvain (UCL))
Tuesday, May 21, 2024 | 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM, Poster Session 2
Exploring the Feasibility and Validity of Proxy Pregnancy Histories Generated via a Mobile Phone Survey in Malawi. (presented by Jethro Banda, Malawi Epidemiology Intervention Research Unit)
Assessing Adult Mortality through Parental Survival Histories in Malawi: Findings from a Mobile Phone Survey (presented by Monica Jamali-Phiri, University of Malawi)
Friday, May 24, 2024 | 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM, Censuses and Surveys in Africa: Opportunities and Challenges-2
What It Takes to Have a Successful Telephone Interview: Experience from Malawi Rapid Mortality Mobile Phone Survey (presented by Funny Muthema, Institute of Public Opinion and Research)
Are Estimated Age Data from Sample Surveys of Poor Quality? Interrogating Interviewer-Respondent Conversations (presented by Emmanuel Souza, University of Malawi).
Interactive Voice Response Surveys (Ivrs) as a Method for Increasing Representativeness of Rural Respondents in Mobile Phone Surveys: Findings from Malawi (presented by Malebogo Tlhajoane, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine)
Friday, May 24, 2024 | 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM, New Perspectives in demographic surveys
Evaluating the Feasibility and Quality of Data Collected through Rapid Mortality Mobile Phone Surveys in Malawi (presented by Jethro Banda, Malawi Epidemiology Intervention Research Unit)
A number of the RaMMPS collaborators are presenting at the ongoing PAA meeting being held in Columbus, Ohio, USA.
Are Estimated Age Data From Sample Surveys of Poor Quality? Interrogating Interviewer–Respondent Conversations (Presented by Emmanuel Souza, University of Malawi)
Thursday, April 18. 08:00 AM - 09:15 AM
Rapid Collection of Adult Mortality Data From Mobile Phone Interviews: An Evaluation of Surveys Conducted in Burkina Faso, Malawi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Presented by Kassoum Dianou, UCL/ISSP)
Saturday, April 20. 10:30 AM - 11:45 AM
Recently, RaMMPS collaborators met in-person for the first time in Abu Dhabi where we held a workshop aimed at presenting key findings and discussing upcoming outputs from the project.
In the photo above are:
Top row from left to right: Almamy Malick Kante (JHU), Agbessi Amouzou (JHU), Jon Pedersen (RaMMPS SAC member), Ivalda Macicame (INS), Cremildo Manhica (INS), Emmanuel Souza (UNIMA), Dustin Gibson (JHU), Malebogo Tlhajoane (LSHTM), Tazvir Amin (icddr,b), Stephane Helleringer (NYU-AD), Moinuddin Haider (icddr,b), Boniface Dulani (IPOR), Julio Romero-Prieto (LSHTM).
Middle row from left to right: Lena Kan (JHU), Claire-Helene Mershon (BMGF), Katie Bernie (UNICEF-USA), Kassoum Dianou (UCL/ISSP), Jethro Banda (MEIRU), Mahabubur Rahman (icddr,b), Funny Muthema (IPOR), Monica Jamali (UNIMA), Diwakar Mohan (JHU), Justine Harper (NYU-AD).
Front row from left to right: Rosemary Morgan (JHU), Iqbal Ansary Khan (IEDCR), Georges Reniers (LSHTM), Shoubo Jalal (UNICEF & RaMMPS SAC Member), Li Liu (JHU).
Collaborators in the RaMMPS project use data from 34 DHS to demonstrate that sample selection bias in U5M estimates from mobile phone surveys can be corrected using post-stratification weighting. Read this paper.
The Quetelet 2023 Seminar will take place from the 9th to the 10th November, 2023. This conference aims to bring together professionals of the discipline to review the promises and pitfalls of unconventional data in population studies. The presentations will cover aspects related to the acquisition of unconventional data, their processing using qualitative and quantitative methods, and the new ethical, conceptual, and methodological challenges they pose.
Unconventional Data Sources for Population Studies: Opportunities and Challenges
In an increasingly digitalized, mobile, and interconnected world, demographers can resort to unconventional data sources to supplement or provide alternatives to the usual censuses, largescale surveys, and vital registration data. Several trends contribute to re-shaping the landscape of demographic data, including the growth of cell phone coverage, the expansion of the internet and social networks, the advent of artificial intelligence, the development of crowd-sourced data and the explosion of computational power. These trends offer unique opportunities to study populations in innovative ways, but they also raise new concerns related, for example, to biases and representativeness, informed consent, and data quality. This conference aims to bring together professionals of the discipline to review the promises and pitfalls of unconventional data in population studies. The presentations will cover aspects related to the acquisition of unconventional data, their processing using qualitative and quantitative methods, and the new ethical, conceptual, and methodological challenges they pose.
Deadline for submissions: June 30, 2023
More details can be found on the UCLouvain website.
Several of the RaMMPS collaborators will be presenting at the upcoming meeting of the Population Association of America (PAA). Here is their schedule:
Thursday, April 13, 2023 | 8:00 AM - 9:15 AM, Measurement of Child Health and Mortality
Measuring Under-5 Mortality and Fertility Through Mobile Phone Surveys: An Assessment of Selection Bias in 34 Low- and Middle-Income Countries, D. Sanchez Paez, Université catholique de Louvain; B. Masquelier, Université catholique de Louvain; A. Menashe-Oren, Université catholique de Louvain; O. Baruwa, North-West University Mafikeng Campus; G. Reniers, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
Thursday, April 13, 2023 | 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM, Mortality and Morbidity (poster session)
The Use of Mobile Phone Surveys for Rapid Mortality Monitoring During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A National Study in Burkina Faso, K. Dianou, Université catholique de Louvain; A. Soura, ISSP; B. Lankoande; H. Bassinga; S. Luhar; B. Masquelier, Centre for Demographic Research, Université catholique de Louvain; K. McCain, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; M. Tlhajoane, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; G. Reniers, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; D. Sanchez Paez, Université catholique de Louvain.
Friday, April 14, 2023 | 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM, COVID-19; Data and Methods (poster session)
Adult Death Registration Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence From a Rural Area of Bangladesh, M. Haider; N. Alam, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh; M. Rahman, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh; M. Bashar, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh; M. Maria, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh; S. Helleringer, New York University (Abu Dhabi).
Friday, April 14, 2023 | 1:30 PM - 2:45 PM, Mortality in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Under-5 Mortality Estimates From Mobile Phone Surveys in Malawi: A Comparison of Full Pregnancy Histories, Truncated Pregnancy Histories, and Household Deaths, J. Romero Prieto, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; J. Banda; M. Chasukwa, Institute of Public Opinion and Research and University of Malawi; K. Dianou, Institut Supérieur des Sciences de la Population; B. Dulani, Institute of Public Opinion and Research and University of Malawi – Zomba; H. Eilerts, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; S. Helleringer, Johns Hopkins University; M. Jamali-Phiri; S. Luhar; B. Masquelier, Centre for Demographic Research, Université catholique de Louvain; K. McCain, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; F. Muthema, Institute of Public Opinion and Research; G. Reniers, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; J. Saikolo, Institute of Public Opinion and Research; E. Souza, University of Malaw; M. Tlhajoane, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Saturday, April 15, 2023 | 9:00 AM - 10:15 AM, Mortality Data in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Validation of Rapid Mortality Mobile Phone Surveys for Neonatal Deaths and Stillbirths in Rural Bangladesh L. Kan, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; L. Liu, Johns Hopkins University; D. Mohan; R. Haque.
Collaborators in the RaMMPS project are preparing a special issue for Demographic Research on the measurement of adult mortality in settings where civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems are insufficient. This collection aims to bring together articles describing innovations in questionnaire design, data collection and statistical models to measure mortality over age 15 from survey and census data.
The deadline for extended abstract submissions is 15 January 2023.
Find out more information about the special issue in the call for papers.