BIBLIOGRAPHIC INPUT SHEET TEMPORARY Patterns of mortality ...

Chapter I. Origin and Initial Phases
5
made to introduce weighing of infants as a
routine practice in the hospitals.
Although the data collected on degree of
malnutrition proved useful, standard procedures
for the assessment of nutritional
status had to be devised. This was important,
as the Investigation sought to clarify
the role of nutritional deficiency as a contributor
to mortality,
The plans for the probability samples of
households were revised and a practical
sampling program was developed to obtain
a record of all household members and collect
data on living children under 5 years
of age. Primary sampling units, usually
from two to four per month, were to serve
as the basis for studies conducted over 24
consecutive months. Three exceptions were
made, with eight units per month selected
for Silo Paulo and Ribciriio Pr to and 15
per month for the project in Santiago, Chile.
A small working group whose members
had participated in the field work reviewed
the results of the pilot testing at a meeting
held in Washington, D.C., from 4 to 8
December 1967, and made minor revisions
in the questionnaire for further testing early
in 1968. The group also drew up several
sections of the proposed Manual of Procedures
in order to assure rapid development
of the projects once funds became
available. The planning and pilot testing
phase thus resulted in valuable contributions
to the design and operation of the
research program.
Early in 1968 the U.S. Agency for International
Development approved the plans
for the program as proposed for the fouryear
period 1 April 1968 to 31 March 1972,
and awarded funds to the Pan American
Health Organization for the first year. The
program called for 27 months of field work
for collection of data on deaths occurring
in 24 consecutive months and for sampling
of households for the same 24 months.
Projects were designed for 13 areas of Latin
America. Although one of them was in
Jamaica, in the Caribbean, for simplicity's
sake these 13 projects will be referred to in
this report as Latin American. Since projects
were desired also in Northern America,*
other sources of funds were sought by research
workers in the United States and
Canada who wished to participate in this
collaborative program, and projects were
carried out in two additional areas, one in
California in parts of 1969 and of 1970 (one
full year) and the other in Qu6bec Province
in 1970 and 1971. Thus, the Inter-American
Investigation of Mortality in Childhood
comprised research projects in 15 different,
widely separated areas in 10 countries of
the Americas.
To reach agreement on l)rocedures for the
conduct of the Investigation, a Planning
Conference of the principal collaborators
was held from 25 to 28 March 1968 at the
Medical School of the University of Valle
;n Cali, Colombia. The group reviewed tile
questionnaires for collection of data on
deaths, as well as several sections of the
Manual of Procedures. The plans for sam­
I)ling of households and of living children
under 5 years were outlined by a consultant
on sampling. In addition, specialists in
pathology, )ediatrics, nutrition, preventive
medicine, epidemiology, and statistics participated
in the discussion of specific phases
of the program, outlining the contributions
to be made in those fields.
The Planning Conference directed special
attention to standards for assessment of
nutritional status, an important phase of
the Investigation. It was agreed that the
* Northern America (the term used by the United
Nations to designate the region of the Hemisphere
lying north of Mexico) is used in this report when reforring
to the projects in California and Canada.