Levels and trends of demographic indices in southern rural Mozambique: evidence from demographic surveillance in Manhiça district
2006

Demographic Trends in Southern Rural Mozambique

Sample size: 79783 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Nhacolo Ariel Q, Nhalungo Delino A, Sacoor Charfudin N, Aponte John J, Thompson Ricardo, Alonso Pedro

Primary Institution: Centro de Investigação em Saúde da Manhiça, Ministério de Saúde, Manhiça, Maputo, Mozambique

Hypothesis

The study aims to assess the effectiveness of the Demographic Surveillance System (DSS) in reporting demographic measures typical of southern Mozambique.

Conclusion

The study found that the population in Manhiça district has characteristics typical of southern rural Mozambique, with high mortality rates and a predominance of young people.

Supporting Evidence

  • The population in Manhiça is predominantly young, with 44% under 15 years old.
  • Fertility rates in Manhiça have remained stable at around 5 children per woman.
  • Adult mortality has increased significantly, with life expectancy decreasing from 53 to 46 years.

Takeaway

This study looked at how many people live and die in a small area of Mozambique over several years, finding that many are young and that more men are leaving for work.

Methodology

Data from the Demographic Surveillance System (DSS) in Manhiça was used to estimate levels and trends of fertility, mortality, and migration from 1998 to 2005.

Potential Biases

Potential biases include underreporting of certain demographic events and the inability to test significance for some data sources.

Limitations

The study faced limitations such as differences in area sizes and time periods compared, and the inability to measure statistical significance for some comparisons.

Participant Demographics

The population under surveillance included 79,783 residents in Manhiça, with a young age structure and a lower sex ratio compared to Maputo province.

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.001

Confidence Interval

1.291 - 1.578

Statistical Significance

p<0.001

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1471-2458-6-291

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