Calendar month improves fertility estimate in Bangladesh

Abstract

Problems involving misreporting of the time period during which births occur are examined for rural Bangladesh. The author suggests methods for minimizing these errors by collecting data on births according to the Bengali calendar month. Fertility rates estimated using the proposed method in a rural area of Comilla district are compared with indirect estimates of fertility for the same area and with fertility rates based on vital registration data for nearby Matlab. The results indicate the value of the proposed method in estimating fertility more accurately