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Analyzing the data Current fertility The purpose of analysis is to organize the data and see what was found. Analysis generally occurs in two phases. First, investigators summarize responses to each question. The central question of the Sudan Fertility Survey was how many children each woman had. Each woman was represented by a number, from zero for those who had not yet given birth to a child, to the maximum number born to any woman. These numbers represent the raw data for establishing the fertility rates in northern Sudan in 1978/79. The raw data were analyzed to find the average number of babies born to the women. Two averages, in fact, were calculated. One average was based on all the women in the sample from whom data were obtained. This average was 4.2 children. It summarized the number of children born to all women, regardless of their ages or how long they had been married. Another average was calculated to find out how many children had been born to women who presumably would not have any more babies. For this average, only data for women who were 45 to 49 years of age were used. This average described the completed fertility of married women in northern Sudan. As you might expect, the average for completed fertility (6.2 babies) was higher than that for all married women. This result would be expected because the first average included data for younger women, some of whom had only been married for a short time, whereas the average for completed fertility included only women who had many years to produce children. We cite these two averages to illustrate that a single research project can be used to answer more than one question. Chapter 18 and Chapter 19 you will give you some ideas of various ways you can analyze the data you will collect. Estimates of future fertility As researchers we often want to suggest how we think certain things may change in the future. The following examples show how data from the Sudan Fertility Survey were analyzed to get an idea of possible changes in fertility in northern Sudan. First, the research team compared the number of babies born to younger women with the number older women had given birth to when they were the same ages as the younger women. The analysis showed that younger women were continuing to have about the same number of babies as their older relatives had at the same ages. In addition, the researchers examined the number of children the women said they would like to have if they could have the exact number of children they wanted. For all women, the preferred number was an average of 6.4 children, which was higher than the actual completed fertility of the older women (6.2 children). Younger women between the ages of 15 and 24, however, indicated they wanted an average of 5.4 children, less than the 6.4 as reported by all women. These findings also point to continued high fertility in northern Sudan. The researchers also looked at the extent to which family planning was being practiced. The women were asked a number of questions about their knowledge and use of contraceptive methods. Here are some of the results:
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