Demographic and Health Surveys Methodology - Measure DHS

NUMBER OF CHILDREN AT FIRST USE OF CONTRACEPTIONStatistics: Percent distribution of Women Who Have Ever Used Contraception byNumber of Living Children at First Use of ContraceptionMedian number of living children at first use of contraception for women who have ever usedcontraception.DefinitionA. Coverage:1. Population base.2. All women (all interviewed women between ages 15 and 49 years) who have ever usedcontraception.3. Time period: Lifetime of the respondent.B. Numerators: Women who have ever used contraception, by declared number of living children atthe time of first use of contraception.C. Denominator: The denominator is the number of women who have ever used contraception.CalculationA. Percent distribution: The numerators divided by the denominator, expressed as a percentage.Total is 100 percent.B. Median: The interpolated number of living children by which the accumulated percentages of thedistribution reaches 50 percent.Example: Suppose the distribution of living children at first use is the following:0 children: 10 percent, 1 child: 25 percent, 2 children: 35 percent, 3 children: 20 percent,and 4 children: 10 percent.Then the accumulated distribution is 0 children: 10 percent, 1 child: 35 percent,2 children: 70 percent, 3 children: 90 percent, 4 children: 100 percent. The median thenwould be interpolated between 1 child and 2 children as (50% – 35%)/(70% – 35%) + 2 =2.4 living children at first use. However, see discussion below.Handling of Missing ValuesNumerators: Missing value for number of living children at first use is included as a separate category inthe percent distribution.Denominator: Because respondents are asked about ever use of contraceptive methods separately, to havea missing value in ever use of contraception requires that all answers be missing. Respondents with allanswers missing are classified as never-users in the standard recode file.Guide to DHS Statistics 47 Updated September 2006