Population Dynamics

A demographic surveillance system (DSS) is commonly used to generate and handle longitudinal follow-up data relating to demographic and health related events in a specified area. In the Korogwe DSS site, information on vital events such as births, deaths and migration has been collected since the establishment of the site in 2005. The site aimed at establishing demographic and epidemiological indices, in order to assist in the evaluation of health related interventions. Data quality assessments were done to evaluate the errors in age reporting and differential completeness of coverage by sex. This assessment was done using population pyramids, sex ratios, age ratios and summary indices. Estimates of the mortality levels were derived from information on deaths collected during the household visits, whilst the cause of death information was obtained from the verbal autopsy questionnaires administered to a parent or close relative of the deceased. Estimates of crude migration rates, age specific migration rates and age profile measures were derived from the number of people moving in and out of the Korogwe DSS site and the person-years lived.