Abstract

The Palestinian Family Survey (MICS) was carried out in 2010 by the Palestinians Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), with UNICEF’s and UNPA’s financial and technical support. The Palestinian Family Survey is a national household survey programme developed by PCBS based on international standard demographic health surveys as well as MICS surveys. The Palestinian Family Survey was conducted as part of the fourth global round of MICS surveys (MICS4). The survey provides up to date information on the health, economic, and social situation of women and children; in addition to providing information on characteristics of the family in which each woman and child live as well as the main indicators about the categories of youth and elderly. This offers a study, analysis, and understanding of the actual indicators and their relationship with demographic, social, economic, and environmental variables. The survey also measures the major indicators which allows countries to monitor their progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) besides measuring the level of fulfilling other internationally agreed upon commitments; in addition to enabling policy and decision makers, and intervention programs to evaluate the plans and programs, amend them, and locate the areas of intervention based on the results. The carry out of the survey also aims at updating the databases on women and children as well as building and enhancing the technical staff capabilities of carrying out surveys and analyzing data out of them. The Palestinian Family survey conducted in 2010 was led by a technical team from the Palestinians Central Bureau of Statistics, UNICEF, and UNFPA, and Ministry of Health.

The Palestinian Family Survey was conducted for a representative sample of the State of Palestine. The survey was designed as a multi- stage cluster covering all the State of Palestine including two geographic areas; The West Bank which included 11 governorates: (Jenin, Tubas, Tulkarm, Qalqiliya, Nablus, Ramallah & Al-Bireh, Jerusalem, Jericho & Al-Aghwar, Bethlehem, Hebron) and the Gaza Strip which include governorates (Gaza, Khan Yunis, Rafah, Deir El Balah and North Gaza). Of the 15,355 households selected in the sample, results showed that the number of occupied households were 14,817 of which 13,629 households were successfully interviewed during the survey, giving a response rate of 92 percent. There were 13,982 women in the 15-49 age group of which a total of 11,173 eligible women were successfully interviewed, achieving a response rate of 80 percent. In addition, 8,024 children were identified in the household questionnaire for whom a total of 7,900 mothers or child caretakers were interviewed. The total response rates of individual interviews are calculated as 73 percent of eligible women and 90 percent with children under 5 respectively. The total households interviewed reached (13,629) households, which included 81,510 individuals members who were listed. Of these, 41,379 were males and 40,131 were females, yielding a sex ratio of 103 males per hundred females.

Geographic coverage

West Bank: Jenin, Tubas, Tulkarm, Qalqiliya, Nablus, Ramallah & Al-Bireh, Jerusalem, Jericho & Al-Aghwar, Bethlehem, Hebron Gaza Strip: Gaza, Khan Yunis, Rafah, Deir El Balah and North Gaza

Analysis unit

• Individuals
• Households

Universe

The survey covered all de jure household members (usual residents), all women aged between 15-54 years, all children under 5 living in the household, all youth aged 15-29 years, and all elderly (60+ years old).

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The primary objective of the sample design for the Palestinian Family Survey was to produce statistically reliable estimates of most indicators, at the national level, for urban and rural areas, refugee camps and for the sixteen governorates (11 in the West Bank and 5 in the Gaza Strip). Urban and rural areas and the refugee camps in each of the sixteen governorates were defined as the sampling strata.

A multi-stage, stratified cluster sampling approach was used for the selection of the survey sample.

The sampling frames used has been established in PCBS,and basically comprises the list of enumeration areas. (The enumeration area is a geographical area containing a number of buildings and housing units of about 120 housing units on average.)

The total frame consists of the following two parts: 1- West Bank and Gaza Sampling Frame: containing enumeration areas drawn up in 2007. In the West Bank: each enumeration area consists of a list of households with identification data to ascertain the address of individual households. In Gaza: each enumeration area contains a list of housing units with addresses to ascertain the address of individual households, plus identification data of the housing units. 2- Jerusalem Sampling Frame (J1): contains enumeration areas only, geographically divided with information about the total number of households in these areas. However, there is no detailed information about addresses inside enumeration areas and the size of the enumeration area can be ascertained without the ability to identify the addresses.

Both frames were used in the sample design and selection and therefore, the sample will differ from one frame to another. Also, the method of reaching the sample units by interviewers may differ.

In the survey, two variables were chosen to divide the population into strata, depending on the homogeneity of parts of the population. Previous studies have shown that Palestinian households may be divided as follows: 1- Governorates: there are 16 governorates in the State of Palestine: 11 governorates in the West Bank and 5 in the Gaza Strip. 2- Locality Types: there are three types : urban, rural and refugee Camps.

After determining the sample size, which equals 15,355 households, we selected a probability sample - a multi-stage stratified cluster sample as follows: 1- First stage: selecting a sample of clusters (enumeration areas) using PPS without replacement method to obtain 644 enumeration areas from the total enumeration area frame. 2- Second stage: selecting 24 households from each selected enumeration area of the first stage and using the systematic sample method. When reaching households, all individuals were interviewed from the eligible groups i.e. women 15-54 years, elderly aged 60 years or above and children aged 0-4 years 3- Third stage: selecting one child of age group 2-14 years for part of the questionnaire and one young person from the 15-29 age group to answer the youth attachment in the questionnaireThe Kish table was used to select one child at random. 4- Also in the women's health section, the questionnaire was administered to a maximum of three randomly selected women aged 15-54 years irrespective of their marital status living in the households. In the case where 3 or less women aged 15-54 were listed in the HH all women were interviewed. As for Households with 4 or more women in this age group 3 were interviewed based on the availability of these women in the household at the time of the interview. The unselected women were further treated in the dataset as non-response cases. As for Households with 4 or more women in this age group 3 were interviewed based on the availability of these women in the household at the time of the interview. The unselected women were further treated in the dataset as non response cases. 5- The elderly age 60 years and above questionnaire was administered for all elderly persons within the household. 6- The Youth questionnaire was administered by randomly selecting a youth member from households with odd household numbers assigned at the enumeration area level. Within this sample female and male youth were alternatively selected.

The sample was allocated with proportionally using the design strata of the governorates and the locality type according to the proportion of the population in the 2007 Census.

The sampling procedures are more fully described in "Palestinian Family Survey 2010 - Final Report" pp.167-171.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The design of the survey complied with the standard specifications of health surveys previously implemented by PCBS. In addition, the survey included indicators of MICS4 to meet the needs of all partners.

Five sets of questionnaires were used in the survey, three are considered as main questionnaires and are based on MICS4 standard questionnaires,viz.: 1) a household questionnaire which was used to collect information on all de jure household members (usual residents), the household, and the dwelling; and a section on general health and knowledge of HIV and AIDS adminstered to three randomly selected women 15-54 years in each houehold, irrespective of marital status, 2) a women’s questionnaire administered in each household to all ever-married women aged 15-54 years (to allow for comparison with the previous survey, however, all the tables and analysis were undertaken for the women aged 15-49 only; 3) an under-5 questionnaire, administered to mothers or caretakers for all children under-5 years living in the household. The two additional country specific questionnaires were, 4) the youth aged 15-29 years old questionnaire; and 5) the elderly (60+ years old) questionnaire.

• Household Questionnaire: Covers demographic and educational characteristics, chronic disease, smoking, discipline of children (2-14 years), child labor (5-14 years), education of children (5-24 years) and housing characteristics. • Women’s Health (15-54 years) Questionnaire: regardless of marital status, awareness about

The Palestinian Family Survey (MICS) was carried out in 2010 by the Palestinians Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), with UNICEF’s and UNPA’s financial and technical support. The Palestinian Family Survey is a national household survey programme developed by PCBS based on international standard demographic health surveys as well as MICS surveys. The Palestinian Family Survey was conducted as part of the fourth global round of MICS surveys (MICS4). The survey provides up to date information on the health, economic, and social situation of women and children; in addition to providing information on characteristics of the family in which each woman and child live as well as the main indicators about the categories of youth and elderly. This offers a study, analysis, and understanding of the actual indicators and their relationship with demographic, social, economic, and environmental variables. The survey also measures the major indicators which allows countries to monitor their progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) besides measuring the level of fulfilling other internationally agreed upon commitments; in addition to enabling policy and decision makers, and intervention programs to evaluate the plans and programs, amend them, and locate the areas of intervention based on the results. The carry out of the survey also aims at updating the databases on women and children as well as building and enhancing the technical staff capabilities of carrying out surveys and analyzing data out of them. The Palestinian Family survey conducted in 2010 was led by a technical team from the Palestinians Central Bureau of Statistics, UNICEF, and UNFPA, and Ministry of Health. The Palestinian Family Survey was conducted for a representative sample of the State of Palestine. The survey was designed as a multi- stage cluster covering all the State of Palestine including two geographic areas; The West Bank which included 11 governorates: (Jenin, Tubas, Tulkarm, Qalqiliya, Nablus, Ramallah & Al-Bireh, Jerusalem, Jericho & Al-Aghwar, Bethlehem, Hebron) and the Gaza Strip which include governorates (Gaza, Khan Yunis, Rafah, Deir El Balah and North Gaza). Of the 15,355 households selected in the sample, results showed that the number of occupied households were 14,817 of which 13,629 households were successfully interviewed during the survey, giving a response rate of 92 percent. There were 13,982 women in the 15-49 age group of which a total of 11,173 eligible women were successfully interviewed, achieving a response rate of 80 percent. In addition, 8,024 children were identified in the household questionnaire for whom a total of 7,900 mothers or child caretakers were interviewed. The total response rates of individual interviews are calculated as 73 percent of eligible women and 90 percent with children under 5 respectively. The total households interviewed reached (13,629) households, which included 81,510 individuals members who were listed. Of these, 41,379 were males and 40,131 were females, yielding a sex ratio of 103 males per hundred females.