Title: Collecting data for the community profile
Course: Health Management, Ethics and Research - Ethiopia (Full)

Collecting data for the community profile

Alemitu knew that the first thing she needed to do when she started her job was to collect baseline data in order to produce a community profile. So she began planning a community survey to collect data to build up the information for her community profile. She started documenting relevant facts from her previous knowledge as a member of the community, but the area was too large for her to survey every household in a short time. First, she sought the support of the kebele leaders, liaising with them and asking about their knowledge of the community and its people. This helped her to recruit community volunteers. She briefed the volunteers on how to conduct the community survey, using a specially prepared questionnaire. After training in their roles and responsibilities, Alemitu coordinated the community volunteers going from house to house asking the questions in the community survey and collecting the answers (Figure 16.2).

Figure 16.2 This community volunteer is going from family to family collecting survey data for the community profile. (Photo: Yesim Tozan)

Some of the results of the community survey related to the geographical and social features of Alemitu's kebele. She was able to establish that:

- The population of her kebele is 5,456 individuals, with (on average) five people per household.
- Enset or kocho is the staple diet.
- Almost all of the families within the kebele earn a living from farming.
- Many areas of the kebele are hard to reach because of the mountainous landscape.
- There is only one available dry weather road from the woreda Health Office leading to her kebele.
- Some parts of the kebele are drought-prone, so there are seasonal nutritional problems among the children.
- It takes an average of eight hours for members of her community to get to the nearest health centre.
- No local or international NGOs are operating in the kebele.
- There is limited electricity and no mobile phone access in the kebele.
- There is a traditional health delivery system offered by certain members of the community (for example, spiritual healers and suppliers of herbal medicines).

In addition to the points listed above, Alemitu needed other survey information to complete her community profile. She needed to collect demographic data on the ages, genders and circumstances of the people in every household in the kebele, whether the children and mothers have been immunized, how many women are pregnant, etc. (Figure 16.3). She also needed epidemiological data about the public health issues that affect the community, e.g. 'Is malaria endemic in the area?', 'Have children died from diarrhoeal diseases or pneumonia?', 'What was the maternal mortality rate during the previous years?', etc.

Figure 16.3 Some demographic and epidemiological data about the community can be displayed on the wall of the Health Post. Note that this poster maintains individual confidentiality. (Photo: Ali Wyllie)