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Active relationship [message #22543] Tue, 30 March 2021 08:46 Go to next message
AngusDalemon is currently offline  AngusDalemon
Messages: 1
Registered: March 2021
Member
Hi all,

I am struggeling trying to infer if a reported sexual relationship is active or not.

I want to know, at the time of the interview, if the respondent is still actively/sexually engaged in a relationship with one of the 3 last partners reported (HIV part of the questionnaire).
So far I am using the v529, v832b and v832c variables that represent the time since last sex with last, 2nd and 3rd last sexual partners and using an arbitrary time threshold (which can vary by type of relationship (spouse, live-in partner, boyfriend, sexual workers, ...)) to say if the partnership is still active or not.

In some surveys (e.g. NATSAL) they ask a specific question such as 'Do you plan to have sex again with this partner?' which can be use as direct proxy of an ongoing partnership. I do not think we have access to anything similar in DHS surveys (should be added in the next ones?).

My approach is far to be ideal, does anybody have an idea of how to do it better?

Best regards.
Re: Active relationship [message #22556 is a reply to message #22543] Wed, 31 March 2021 16:31 Go to previous message
Bridgette-DHS is currently offline  Bridgette-DHS
Messages: 3214
Registered: February 2013
Senior Member


Following is a response from DHS Research & Data Analysis Director, Tom Pullum:

Part of the difficulty is in how to interpret current status for something that is episodic. It is impossible to know whether any of these relationships continued past the date of the survey, which is probably what you mean by being "active" at the time of the survey. Perhaps other users have suggestions.
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