Annex

Elements of survey costs

Survey design

• sample sizes per group and per region
• number of selected target populations
• number of sample clusters (dispersion versus concentration)
• travel time within and between survey areas

Length of the preparatory phase

• availability of sampling frame (How up-to-date is the sampling frame? Do maps exist? Are there current estimates of population/subpopulations?)
• whether translation of questionnaires is done and into how many languages
• pretesting and printing of questionnaires
• development of guides for supervisors and interviewers
• recruitment and training of field staff
• data management specifications

Length of field work

• number of interviews
• number of interviewers
• number of interviews per day (mainly determined by the length of the questionnaire/interview time)
• number of clusters
• number of callbacks
• travel time

Data entry and data analysis, production of final report

• computer equipment
• number of entry clerks
• printing and dissemination of final report
• office supplies

Personnel

• salary levels (type of personnel required)
• per diem or living allowance levels

Transportation

• number of drivers
• vehicles and other modes of transport
• petrol
• maintenance

In most surveys, personnel and transportation are the most expensive items.

A general population household survey in sub-Saharan Africa may cost on average between 40,000 US$ and 60,000 US$, depending on the domains involved (two urban areas or one urban and one rural area).

The cost of repeated surveys in populations with high-risk behaviour will depend heavily on the number of target populations and survey areas. For example, a single round of behavioural surveys in three selected population groups, conducted in two different geographical areas, may cost between 25,000 US$ and 35,000 US$ in sub-Saharan Africa.

Additional information on surveys

National Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS-II and III) surveys with a module on AIDS and a subsample of men have been conducted in many countries, such as Burkina Faso, Malawi, Senegal, Tanzania, Benin, Central African Republic, Chad, Eritrea, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Uganda, and Zambia.

A list of countries with such surveys is available on Internet at the DHS+ Web site address: http://www.measuredhs.com/.

The UNAIDS/WHO Epidemiological Fact Sheets are designed to collate the most recent country-specific data on HIV/AIDS prevalence together with information on behaviours. More than 140 countries have provided information from serosurveillance, behavioural surveys, and other studies. See http://www.who.ch/emc-hiv/fact_sheets/index.html.

Acknowledgments

This document was co-authored by Elizabeth Pisani, Tim Brown, Tobi Saidel, Thomas Rehle, and Michel Caraël.

The document is a summary of different regional workshops held in 1997 in Nairobi, Kenya, Bangkok, Thailand, Berlin, Germany, and Oxford, UK. The results of these workshops provided the basis for discussing and preparing this document. The following participants are gratefully acknowledged for their valuable contributions: Karen Stanecki, Ties Boerma, Ann Blanc, Lisanne Brown, Joseph Amon, and Robert Magnani.