Abstract
Traditional sample designs for household surveys are contingent upon the availability of a representative primary sampling frame. This is defined using enumeration units and population counts retrieved from decennial national censuses that can become rapidly inaccurate in highly dynamic demographic settings. To tackle the need for representative sampling frames, we propose an original grid-based sample design framework introducing essential concepts of spatial sampling in household surveys. In this framework, the sampling frame is defined based on gridded population estimates and formalized as a bi-dimensional random field, characterized by spatial trends, spatial autocorrelation, and stratification. The sampling design reflects the characteristics of the random field by combining contextual stratification and proportional to population size sampling. A nonparametric estimator is applied to evaluate the sampling design and inform sample size estimation. We demonstrate an application of the proposed framework through a case study developed in two provinces located in the western part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We define a sampling frame consisting of settled cells with associated population estimates. We then perform a contextual stratification by applying a principal component analysis (PCA) and k-means clustering to a set of gridded geospatial covariates, and sample settled cells proportionally to population size. Lastly, we evaluate the sampling design by contrasting the empirical cumulative distribution function for the entire population of interest and its weighted counterpart across different sample sizes and identify an adequate sample size using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov distance between the two functions. The results of the case study underscore the strengths and limitations of the proposed grid-based sample design framework and foster further research into the application of spatial sampling concepts in household surveys.
Highlights
Research and policymaking often require demographic data, such as population enumerations and age and sex structures
Limits of traditional sample designs In low- and middle-income countries, sample designs for household surveys are traditionally set up in two stages for logistical and financial considerations[9]. This form of multistage sampling involves an initial sampling from the primary frame, which consists of non-overlapping enumeration units defined proportionally to population size[7]
These enumeration units are typically derived from the last national census, which is usually carried out on a decadal basis[54]
Summary
Any reports and responses or comments on the article can be found at the end of the article. Author roles: Boo G: Conceptualization, Data Curation, Formal Analysis, Methodology, Visualization, Writing – Original Draft Preparation; Darin E: Conceptualization, Formal Analysis, Methodology, Writing – Original Draft Preparation; Thomson DR: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing – Review & Editing; Tatem AJ: Funding Acquisition, Supervision, Writing – Review & Editing. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. How to cite this article: Boo G, Darin E, Thomson DR and Tatem AJ.
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