The following description of this survey appeared in the 1991 edition of Dynamic Database: A Catalogue of Survey Data Files, Voorburg: International Statistical Institute.
Basic Information
Name of survey: Lesotho Fertility Survey
Executive agency: Bureau of Statistics
Date of fieldwork: 1977
Universe: Ever-married women, 15-49
Coverage: National, 100%
Size: 3603
Weights: Self-weighting
Contents: WFS Core Mark 1 + FOTCAF and family planning modules (part)
A household survey on an enlarged sample was conducted by a male field force.
In addition to standard items, the household questionnaire contained items on
paternal and maternal orphanhood, survivorship of first spouse, details of
deaths in the preceding 24 months and life time and current fertility. A set
of derived variables on household composition has been added to the file.
The second phase of the survey was based on a subselection of households
enumerated in the main household survey and was conducted by a female field
force about six weeks later. Selected households were re-interviewed using a
simple household schedule and all ever-married women aged 15-49 were eligible
for the individual questionnaire. In the latter, the full family planning
module was not used but information on family planning availability was
collected: knowledge and ever-use of specified sources; mode of transport and
travelling time to sources; waiting time at source. The utility of these data
is limited by low levels of knowledge and use. A full non-live birth history
is available on the SR file.
As part of a wider Response Errors Project a re-interview survey was conducted
on a subsample of 736 women (see reference 3 below for results).
Release Conditions
Data may be used for academic research, provided that credit is given
in any publication resulting from the research to the agency that
conducted the survey and that two copies of any publication are sent to:
Mr. L.L. Phamotse
Director of Statistics
Bureau of Statistics
P.O. Box 455
Maseru-100
Lesotho
Public Use Files
Available files include the household data, and the individual standard recode data and dictionary, in the original WFS format. In addition, the individual standard recode data and dictionary dictionary are available in ISSA format.
The table below lists the file names and descriptions.
Codebook file for the standard recode data. ISSA format
Ascii text file
Note:
There is no machine-readable dictionary for the Lesotho Household Survey.
A printed questionnaire with column numbers is in the OPR library, bound
with the dictionary for the Lesotho Individual Raw Data file. This
questionnaire (in the back of the volume) has English translations of
most but not all of the questions.
The information provided on this Web site is not official U.S. Government information and
does not represent the views or positions of the U.S. Agency for International Development or the U.S. Government.
World Fertility Survey