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Understanding variables with _01, _02, etc. [message #9903]

Sat, 04 June 2016 18:11

SonjaMM
Messages: 7
Registered: June 2016
Location: NJ

Member

Hello,
I'm looking at the Zimbabwe datasets in SAS and just as an example the variable HML32 = Final result of malaria from blood smear test. So far this seems easy enough for me to understand, but my problem is that in the dataset I see the variable HML32_01, HML32_02, all the way up to HML32_24 and this occurs with multiple variables and a lot of times there are 24 variations of the "same" variable.
Could someone explain to me what the difference or meaning of _01, _02, _03, etc. means. Is it the same test done at a different time, different person, same person different time? Also can I just combine all the variables HML32 to make one variable instead of 24 variables?

I would greatly appreciate any guidance on this matter. Is there something written about this somewhere that I am missing?

Thanks.

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Re: Understanding variables with _01, _02, etc. [message #9904 is a reply to message #9903]

Sat, 04 June 2016 18:19

Reduced-For(u)m
Messages: 292
Registered: March 2013

Senior Member

Which recode are you using? It maybe that _01, _02, etc. refer to different household members. See the dataset descriptions here: http://dhsprogram.com/data/Dataset-Types.cfm

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Re: Understanding variables with _01, _02, etc. [message #9905 is a reply to message #9904]

Sat, 04 June 2016 18:30

SonjaMM
Messages: 7
Registered: June 2016
Location: NJ

Member

Hi,
I'm using the Household Data - Household Recode (HR). What I don't understand is why would the variables go all the way up to _24? I've read the recode postings, but I still can't figure out the logic to this coding. I'm also curious if I would be able to just combine all the variables 01-24 into one variable, but there doesn't seem to be any information on the subject. Maybe there is a very easy solution to this question but I would really appreciate any advice on how to solve it.

Thank you.

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Re: Understanding variables with _01, _02, etc. [message #9906 is a reply to message #9905]

Sun, 05 June 2016 19:30

Reduced-For(u)m
Messages: 292
Registered: March 2013

Senior Member

Looking at the documentation, it does appear that each _X is the variable for person X. So the question about bed nets is asked for each member of the household, and there can be up to 24 members (joint families can get large). The members are listed in an order described in HMHIDX.

See page 28 here: http://www.dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/DHSG4/Recode6_DHS_22March 2013_DHSG4.pdf

It sounds like you just want to know whether "anyone" in the household slept under a bednet? You could then generate a new variable that equals 1 if any of the HML32_X variables are "yes" and 0 otherwise...or however you want to define that.

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