Digit preference in Nigerian censuses data of 1991 and 2006

Q3 Nursing

Epidemiology Biostatistics and Public Health Pub Date : 2022-07-07 DOI:10.2427/8843

T. Dahiru, H. Dikko

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引用次数: 3

Abstract

Background: censuses in developing countries are prone to errors of age misreporting due to ignorance, low literacy levels and other social, economic and cultural factors. Ages are commonly rounded with great affinity for 0 or 5. This tendency to digit preference and/or avoidance results in age heaping or concentration of ages at certain digits. This study examined the extent of digit preference in the Nigerian census data of 1991 and 2006. Methods: this study utilized age data from the 1991 and 2006 Nigerian censuses reported in single years. The Whipple and Myers indices were used to determine the extent of digit preference. Results: both the 1991 and 2006 census data showed the expected pattern of errors, with Whipple and Myers indices being beyond acceptable levels. The Whipple index for 1991 and 2006 was 293 and 251 respectively, while the Myers index was 62.3 and 67.1 respectively. There was a strong preference for terminal digits 0 and 5, followed by 8 whereas terminal digits 1 and 9 were strongly avoided. Conclusions: the quality of age data in Nigerian census data is poor as a result of misreporting and no significant improvement or difference was observed between 1991 and 2006 censuses.

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1991年和2006年尼日利亚人口普查数据中的数字偏好

背景:由于无知、识字率低以及其他社会、经济和文化因素，发展中国家的人口普查容易出现年龄误报错误。年龄通常四舍五入，与0或5有很大的关系。这种手指偏好和/或回避的倾向导致年龄堆积或年龄集中在某些手指。本研究考察了1991年和2006年尼日利亚人口普查数据中数字偏好的程度。方法:本研究利用1991年和2006年尼日利亚人口普查的年龄数据。惠普尔和迈尔斯指数被用来确定数字偏好的程度。结果:1991年和2006年人口普查数据均呈现预期的误差模式，惠普尔指数和迈尔斯指数均超出可接受水平。1991年和2006年的惠普尔指数分别为293和251,Myers指数分别为62.3和67.1。人们对终端数字0和5有强烈的偏好，其次是8，而终端数字1和9则被强烈避免。结论:由于误报，尼日利亚人口普查数据中的年龄数据质量较差，1991年和2006年的人口普查没有显著改善或差异。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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Epidemiology Biostatistics and Public Health PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH-

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期刊介绍： Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Public Health (EBPH) is a multidisciplinary journal that has two broad aims: -To support the international public health community with publications on health service research, health care management, health policy, and health economics. -To strengthen the evidences on effective preventive interventions. -To advance public health methods, including biostatistics and epidemiology. EBPH welcomes submissions on all public health issues (including topics like eHealth, big data, personalized prevention, epidemiology and risk factors of chronic and infectious diseases); on basic and applied research in epidemiology; and in biostatistics methodology. Primary studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses are all welcome, as are research protocols for observational and experimental studies. EBPH aims to be a cross-discipline, international forum for scientific integration and evidence-based policymaking, combining the methodological aspects of epidemiology, biostatistics, and public health research with their practical applications.