Abstract
BackgroundUnder-five death rate is one of the major indicators used in assessing the level of needs and severity of humanitarian crisis. Over the years, a number of small-scale surveys based on Standardized Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transitions methodology has been conducted in Yemen, these serve as a guide for policy maker and the humanitarian community. The aim of this study is to identify critical methodological and reporting weaknesses that are easy to correct and would improve substantively the quality of the results.MethodsWe obtained seventy-seven surveys conducted across 22 governorates in Yemen between 2011 and 2019 and divided the analysis period into pre-crisis (2011–2014) and crisis period (2015–2019) for comparison. We analysed survey qualities such as sampling methodology, completeness of reporting of Under-five death rate and mortality sample size for children less than five (children < 5) years old.ResultsSeventy-seven (71.9%) out of 107 surveys met the eligibility criteria to be included in the study. The methodological quality and reporting are as varied as the surveys. 23.4% (n = 18) met the criteria for quality of sampling methodology, while 77.9%(n = 60) presented required information for the estimation of required mortality sample size and 40.3%(n = 31) met the quality check for reporting of Under-five death rate.ConclusionsOur assessment indicated that there is no strict adherence to the sampling methodology set out in Standardized Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transitions guidelines, and reporting of mortality and sample size data. Adherence to methodological guidelines and complete reporting of surveys in humanitarian settings will vastly improve both the quality and uptake of key data on health and nutrition of the affected population.
Highlights
Under-five death rate is one of the major indicators used in assessing the level of needs and severity of humanitarian crisis
Recognizing fully that the realities in humanitarian settings pose severe challenges to conduct field surveys, our focus of this paper is to identify critical methodological and reporting weaknesses that are easy to correct and would improve substantively the quality of the results
We searched other online repositories maintained by humanitarian agencies, such as United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHC R), United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), World Food Program (WFP), World Health Organization (WHO), Médecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) International, Action Against Hunger (AAH), CARE International and ReliefWeb
Summary
Under-five death rate is one of the major indicators used in assessing the level of needs and severity of humanitarian crisis. A cholera epidemic, a deadly disease in undernourished children, broke out in Yemen with more than 1 million suspected cases between April and December 2017 [5]. The severity of such outbreaks is difficult to assess as many deaths occur at home and remain unreported. Humanitarian organizations use smallscale surveys to fill such gaps and estimate mortality rates in affected communities, with the aggregation of this data creating a more accurate picture of a crisis. The methodological and reporting quality of these surveys are central to providing accurate and reliable data for reporting to donors and other stakeholders involved
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