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FPPREVDTCMC (FPPREVDTCMC)
Century month date when started previous FP method
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FPPREVDTCMC is a 4-digit numeric variable.

Codes

9997 = Don't know
9999 = NIU (not in universe)

Description

FPPREVDTCMC reports the century month code (CMC) for the date when the woman started using her previous contraceptive method.

Century month codes (CMC) are particularly useful for checking the consistency of dates, calculating intervals between events, and imputing dates when the information for an event is missing or partially complete.

Century month codes (CMC) are calculated by multiplying by 12 the difference between the year of an event and 1900. The year 1900 was chosen as the reference period because all of the DHS-relevant events occurred during the twentieth or twenty-first centuries. The month of the event is added to the previous result.

CMC = (Year minus 1900) * 12 + Month

For example, the CMC for June 2002 is:

CMC = (2002 minus 1900) * 12 + 6 = 1230

In other words, 1,230 months have elapsed between January 1900 and June 2002. Starting with CMC figures, one can calculate the month and year using the following formulas:

Year = int( ( CMC minus 1 )/12 ) + 1900
[int(x) is the integer part of x]
Month = CMC minus ( ( Year minus 1900 ) * 12 )

For more information, visit The DHS Program website to find the latest Guide to DHS Statistics.

Comparability

FPPREVDTCMC has no comparability problems.

Comparability - Standard DHS

FPPREVDTCMC is a country-specific variable not included in any phase of the standard DHS questionnaire.

Universe

  • Sri Lanka 1987: Ever-married women age 15-49 who previously used a contraceptive method prior to their current method of contraception.
  • Sri Lanka: 1987-W, 1987-C, 1987-B