Authors: Linnea Zimmerman, Hannah Olson, PMA2020 Principal Investigators Group, Amy Tsui, & Scott Radloff
Journal: Studies in Family Planning, 48(3). August 2017
This paper is the first of the Studies in Family Planning’s new “Data Series.” The article focuses on the many innovations of the survey platform and its ability to frequently and accurately monitor and track progress on various family planning metrics. It describes PMA2020’s research questions; sample selection and size, including response rates and loss to follow up; data quality; data formats; location and timing of data collection; data access; and, data use. Highlights of the unique scientific value of PMA2020 survey data include:
- PMA2020 provides nationally representative survey data on family planning indicators with rapid turnaround on an annual or more frequent basis.
- It collects information directly from facilities that provide family planning services to the sampled households. By combining both facility and household components of the PMA2020 platform, researchers can set up both the supply and demand sides for analysis of the association between family planning service delivery outputs and the population outcomes in a way that few other facility surveys can. This allows for the generation of unique insights and hypothesis-testing.
- The selected geographic locations for PMA2020 surveys prioritize the FP2020 pledging countries to serve as a monitoring platform for ensuring that FP2020 goals and commitments are being met.
- In addition to providing comparable measures of core FP indicators, PMA2020 gathers information on emerging issues in FP and reproductive health that other large-scale surveys do not capture. PMA has included questions in selected countries on implant removal, menstrual hygiene management, Sayana Press introduction, emergency contraceptive use, abortion, contraceptive acceptability, and program exposure.
- Enumeration areas and resident enumerators that are included in multiple rounds are masked with the same identifiers across rounds. It is thus possible to link interviews conducted in the same geographic area or conducted by the same interviewer over time, allowing for the investigation of longitudinal change and/or interviewer elects overtime.