Research Infrastructure
Reproductive Health Data and Computer Centers
Brown University has developed a demographic and reproductive health research and training infrastructure at our Ethiopian partner universities. This infrastructure has four components:
(1) Reproductive Health Data Centers;
(2) Reproductive Health Data Libraries;
(3) Reproductive Health Information Libraries; and
(4) Survey Research Data Labs.Reproductive Health Data Centers are now in their fourth year of operation at Jimma and Addis Ababa Universities. The Data Centers are equipped with desktop computers, printers, document scanners and photocopiers and serve as local hubs for research and training in demographic and reproductive health analysis. The center at Addis Ababa University was the site of our three-year cycle of training workshops, and it currently is used by graduate students in the Masters program in demography, which has increased three-fold in size over the last four years from approximately 15 to 45 entering students per year. The center at Jimma University is used by faculty and students for the entry of data from student field studies and faculty directed surveys (such as World Health Survey), and for data analysis and report writing.
The Data Centers also function as repositories for Reproductive Health Data and Information Libraries that continue to be up-dated and expanded. The Health Data Library consolidates public use micro-samples from the Ethiopian censuses, demographic and health data from recent national and regional surveys, and complete file documentation and summary reports. This is the first and only effort to archive and make easily accessible to Ethiopian researchers, public-use census files and survey data on population related issues. We have also identified and created an information database that includes more than 60 published, peer-reviewed demographic and health related studies on reproductive health and population issues in Ethiopia. The database includes complete citations, abstracts, and downloadable PDF files. The majority of articles in the database are published in international journals that are not accessible to Ethiopian based researchers. We have provided each of our collaborating institutions with printed copies of articles in the database. For ease of use, and to allow the dissemination of these materials to other researchers and students through the computer laboratories, we have also downloaded PDF files for selected articles to portable media (CDs).
At Jimma University we have established a Survey Research Data Lab. Laptop and desktop computers with SPSS Data Entry software for entering, coding, editing, and processing survey data from demographic and health surveys have been installed. The labs and equipment are dedicated exclusively to data entry and processing, and conform to human subjects requirements for having a secure space for storing and processing confidential survey data. In addition to equipping the labs Brown University is providing technical training and assistance in operating the data entry software. The survey data lab will be available as infrastructure to support all future demographic and reproductive health data collection projects at Jimma University.
Research and Training Infrastructure in Ethiopia (2001- present)
Reproductive Health Data Centers (2001- present) Located at:
- Department of Population and Family Health, Jimma University and
- Demographic Training and Research Center, Addis Abba University
Equipped with:
- Jimma: (4) high capacity desktop computers with statistical software packages, (1) laser jet printer, (1) digital scanner; (1) photocopy machine.
- Addis Ababa : (6) high capacity desktop computers with statistical software packages, (1) laser jet printer, (1) photocopy machine.
Used for:
- Training workshops in demographic analysis for faculty and advanced graduate students.
- Data analysis and research report writing on issues of population and reproductive health.
- Data entry for student field studies and faculty directed surveys (e.g. World Health Survey).
- Photocopying and scanning documents for research and dissemination of research findings.
Reproductive Health Data Libraries (2001- present) Located at:
- Department of Population and Family Health, Jimma University and
- Demographic Training and Research Center, Addis Abba University
Equipped with:
- Demographic and Health Data Bases for the Ethiopian Population, includes: (1) public use microsamples from the 1984 and 1994 Censuses of Ethiopia, (2) 2000 Demographic Health Survey, (3) DTRC-Brown Migration and Women’s Status Survey, (4) Southern Nations and Peoples Region Community and Family Survey data, (5) 2000 Amhara and Oromiya Region Baseline Demographic Surveys.
- File documentation and Survey Reports.
Used for:
- Undergraduate and graduate student research, faculty research, and the preparation of research reports and articles on demographic and health related behavior and trends.
Reproductive Health Information Libraries (2001- present)
Located at:
- Department of Population and Family Health, Jimma University and
- Demographic Training and Research Center, Addis Abba University
Equipped with:
- Information database of published, peer-reviewed demographic and health related studies on Ethiopia, including downloadable pdf files.
- Reprints of articles in database and other population related materials not easily accessible to Ethiopian researchers.
- Text books on health services program design and evaluation, biostatistics, and demographic analysis.
Used for:
- Undergraduate and graduate student research, faculty research, and the preparation of research reports and articles on demographic and health related behavior and trends.
- Course design in the MP.H. program.
Survey Research Data Labs (2004 - present) Located at:
- Department of Population and Family Health, Jimma University and
- Department of Community Health, Gondar University
Equipped with:
- Jimma: (4) high capacity laptop computers with statistical software packages for survey data entry and processing.
- Gondar : (2) high capacity desktop computers with statistical software packages for survey data entry and processing.
Used for:
- Jimma: Longitudinal Family Survey of Youth.
- Gondar : Dabat Rural Health Surveillance System.
- Future reproductive health data collection projects at Jimma and Gondar.