Description

IDEALPOSTPT2 reports what the woman thinks is the ideal duration for a couple to wait before starting sexual relations after the birth of a child. Responses are given in month or year units; the complementary variable IDEALPOSTPT preserves the detailed responses given in days for a minority of samples.

Comparability

Apart from universe changes over time (see below), IDEALPOSTPT2 is largely comparable across samples.

The vast majority of responses reported in years covered a span of five years or less. Some higher year responses may derive from data entry errors, and researchers may wish to impose an earlier cut-off period (e.g., 5 years or more) or to drop cases with exceptionally long durations reported.

Comparability - Standard DHS

IDEALPOSTPT (V608), the basis for IDEALPOSTPT2, is included in the standard DHS questionnaire for Phases I and II. In Phase I, the base universe included only currently married women, while in Phase II, the base universe expanded to include all interviewed women.

Universe