Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Kingston, Jamaica metro area from 1950 to 2025.

This statistic shows the biggest cities in Jamaica in 2011. In 2011, approximately 585 thousand people lived in Kingston, making it the biggest city in Jamaica.

Abstract

The Jamaica Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) is a household survey programme carried out in 2011 by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica. Financial and technical support was provided by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and other UN partners.

The survey is designed to collect statistically sound, internationally comparable estimates of key indicators that are used to assess the situation of children and women in the areas of health, education, child protection and HIV/AIDS. The MICS survey also provides a tool to monitor the progress towards national goals and global commitments aimed at promoting the welfare of children, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Jamaica participated in the second, third and fourth round of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey in 2000, 2005 and 2011 respectively. As a signatory to the Millennium Declaration (MDG) and the World Fit for Children Declaration and Plan of Action, Jamaica participated in the MICS with the following objectives: - To assess the situation of women and children. - To contribute to the improvement of data and monitoring systems in Jamaica and to strengthen technical expertise in the design, implementation, and analysis of such systems. - To assist with monitoring the progress towards the GOJ-UNICEF Country Programme Action Plan.

Geographic coverage

National

Analysis unit

• Individuals
• Households

Universe

The survey covered all de jure household members (usual residents), all women aged between 15-49 years and all children under 5 living in the household.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The primary objective of the sample design for the Jamaica Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) was to produce statistically reliable estimates of most indicators, at the national level, and for three regions of Jamaica: (a) the Kingston Metropolitan Area (KMA), comprising the whole of Kingston, St. Andrew urban, Spanish Town, and Portmore; (b) other towns; and (c) rural areas. A multi-stage, stratified cluster sampling approach was used for the selection of the survey sample.

The target sample size for the Jamaica MICS was determined as 7,200 households. For the calculation of the sample size, two key indicators were chosen: neonatal tetanus protection and father's support for learning.

A stratified two-stage sample design was used for the Jamaica MICS4, although the primary sampling units (PSUs) for the survey were selected in two steps. The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) developed a master sample for their household survey program based on the 2001 Jamaica Census data and cartographic materials. The PSUs were defined as enumeration districts (EDs), although a very small ED (with less than 25 households) was combined with a neighbouring ED to form a PSU. The master sampling frame had a total of 254 sampling strata, and 3 sample PSUs were selected per stratum, for a total of 762 sample PSUs. These master sample PSUs were then further grouped into 180 new sampling regions (within parish and urban/rural strata), and two sample PSUs were selected in each new sampling region for the MICS4, for a total sample of 360 PSUs or clusters. At each step the PSUs were selected systematically with probability proportional to size, based on the number of households in the 2001 Census.

Since the sampling frame (based on the 2001 Jamaica Census) was not up-to-date, a new listing of households was conducted in all the sample EDs prior to the selection of households. For this purpose, listing teams were formed, who visited each ED, and listed the occupied dwelling units.

Lists of households were prepared by the listing teams in the field for each ED. The households were then sequentially numbered from 1 to n (the total number of households in the ED), and the selection of 20 households in each ED was carried out using random systematic sampling procedures.

The sampling procedures are more fully described in "Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2010 - Final Report" pp.136-138.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The questionnaires for the Generic MICS were structured questionnaires based on the MICS4 model questionnaire with some modifications and additions. Household questionnaires were administered in each household, which collected various information on household members including sex, age and relationship. The household questionnaire includes household listing form, education, water and sanitation, household characteristics, child labour, child discipline, hand washing, insecticide treated nets, indoor residual spraying and salt iodization.

In addition to a household questionnaire, questionnaires were administered in each household for women age 15-49, and children under age five. For children, the questionnaire was administered to the mother or primary caretaker of the child.

The women's questionnaire includes woman's background, child mortality, desire for last birth, maternal and newborn health, attitudes toward domestic violence, marriage/union, life satisfaction, female genital mutilation/cutting, illness symptoms, contraception, unmet need, sexual behavior and HIV/AIDS.

The children's questionnaire includes child's age, birth registration, early childhood development, breastfeeding, care of illness, immunization, malaria, vitamin A and anthropometry.

The modules included were first decided on by the Technical Committee from STATIN. These were later presented to the Steering Committee for approval. The questionnaires were further refined based on the results of the pre-test and again submitted to and approved by the Steering Committee.

Cleaning operations

The MICS4 data processing system was designed to deliver the first results of the survey within a few weeks of the completion of the field work, since the data was processed in tandem with the fieldwork.

The questionnaires from the field were first manually edited/coded by four clerks who, based on predetermined standards, checked the questionnaires for completeness and thoroughness and, where necessary, inserted codes.

After this process was completed, the questionnaires were sent to the data processing unit where the information was transferred to microcomputers by four data entry operators, supervised by two programmers using the software package CSPro. This process was started on January 31, 2011 and ended on April 4, 2011. In order to ensure accuracy and minimize data entry errors, the questionnaires were entered separately by two data clerks and the programme highlighted any inconsistency in the data entered. These inconsistencies were eliminated by checking with the original questionnaire and the clerk whose data was incorrect made the necessary correction(s). This process continued until both sets of data were identical. Internal consistency checks were then followed to ensure that the quality of the data was maintained. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software program, Version 18, and the model syntax and tabulation plans developed by UNICEF were used for this purpose.

Response rate

Of the 7,289 households selected for the sample, 6,300 were found to be occupied. Of these, 5,960 were successfully interviewed yielding a household response rate of 94.6 percent. In the interviewed households, 5,143 women (age 15-49 years) were identified. Of these 5,032 were successfully interviewed, yielding a response rate of 97.8 percent. In addition, 1,651 children under age five were listed in the household questionnaire. Questionnaires were completed for 1,639 of these children, which corresponds to a response rate of 99.3 percent. Overall response rates of 92.6 and 93.9 were calculated for the women’s and under-5’s interviews respectively.

Data appraisal

A series of data quality tables are available to review the quality of the data and include the following:

• Age distribution of the household population
• Age distribution of eligible and interviewed women
• Age distribution of children under 5 in household and children under 5 questionnaires
• Observation of places for hand washing
• Observation of women's health cards
• Observation of vaccination cards
• Presence of mother in the household and the person interviewed for the under-5 questionnaire
• Selection of children age 2-14 years for the child discipline module
• School attendance by single age

The results of each of these data quality tables are shown in appendix D in document "Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2010 - Final Report" pp.158-164.