Codes
This variable is not available for any of the currently selected samples.
Description
For children born in the three to five years before the survey, BRSFEDMO (M5) reports the calculated months of breastfeeding, including cases where 1) the child's mother was still breastfeeding at the time of the interview or 2) the child had been breastfed until his or her death. Cases in these two categories were excluded from the related variable BRSFEDUR on the duration of breastfeeding.
For DHS Phase II forward, inconsistent durations based on the original report of the duration of breastfeeding were coded as "Inconsistent." In cases where the reported duration was one month longer than the relevant interval, the duration was shortened by one month. If the duration of breastfeeding exceeded the child's age at death, the duration of breastfeeding was changed to the child's age at death.
Comparability — Index
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GENERAL |
Comparability
BRSFEDMO (M5) is affected by changes in question wording and substantial universe differences. Users should be attentive to changes across phases, particularly in Phase VI forward, that affect how the duration of breastfeeding is calculated. See "Comparability - Standard DHS," below.
The maximum number of months reported depends on the cut-off age for children included in the child health inquiry. Thus, for samples including children under age 5, the number of months of breastfeeding is top-coded at 60; for samples including children under age 4, the top-code is 48 months; for samples including children under age 3, the top-code is 36 months. See the Universe tab for details on samples of interest.
Comparability - Standard DHS
BRSFEDMO (M5) is included in all phases of the standard DHS questionnaire.
In Phases I through V, the questionnaire asks, "For how many months did you breastfeed (child)?"
Beginning in Phase VI, the relevant questions in the standard questionnaire are, "How long after birth did you first put (NAME) to the breast?" and, if the child is alive, "Are you still breastfeeding (NAME)?" If the child was ever breastfed but is not currently breastfeeding, he or she is coded as "Ever breastfed, not currently breastfeeding" (code "92"). In Phase VI forward, the only monthly numeric codes are for children who are still breastfeeding.
