SCoPE toolkit: a comprehensive tool to estimate survey sample size, cost, population projection and estimation of denominators for nutrition and health program implementers, researchers and program evaluators

Abstract

Prioritization and optimization of budgets for research and program implementation is an important aspect of program conceptualization and management in a world, where there are resource constraints. Estimating budgets for health and nutrition surveys embedded in a program becomes a regular exercise for program implementers and managers. But this becomes difficult due to absence of any estimates or coefficients to benchmark surveys and survey data quality assessments. In addition, estimation of denominators for program monitoring and forecasting of micronutrients and health supplies is requirement, which is regular requirement. A survey sample size, cost, population projection and estimation (SCoPE) toolkit has been developed keeping in mind the needs of the fraternity of program managers, researchers and program evaluators. This could be used to estimate sample size with different absolute and relative precision levels adjusting for design effects and response rates, tentative costs for upcoming surveys, population projections, age specific denominators for forecasting of supplies and monitoring. It has population proportions for the 1,000 days, under five years, 10-19 years for adolescents for weekly iron and folic acid (IFA) supplementation, 15 to 49 years of age for WRA for daily IFA and calcium supplementation, annual and monthly births and pregnancies, assessment of data quality of age data using Whipple’s index for digit preference for terminal digits of 0 and 5, assessment of age-sex structure of a population by using a population pyramid, converting five year population to single year age population for groups. It also includes data metrics and a statistical calculator.