Effort Scores for Family Planning Programs: An Alternative Approach

Author(s): Ross J A, Cooper-Arnold K

Year: 2001

Abstract:
In the 1999 cycle of the Family Planning Program Effort Scores the standard questionnaire was used as before to produce 30 indices of effort. However a shorter form was also included, which asked the respondent to rate each of the 30 indices directly on a 1-10 scale. Overall the total short score averaged about 8 percent below the total long score, consistently across 88 countries, geographic regions, and among score components. The different score levels appear to arise not from those sources but rather from differences in the two instruments. The long form produces the 30 indices from about 125 questions, using various questions and coding rules to create each score, whereas the short form described each index in brief phrases and used a simple scale for each one. Most differences were in fact relatively small, and especially so where the two forms were most similar. For a consistent time trend for each score in each country it will be useful to retain the long form, but for the total score and the component scores the short form could now be used at less cost and perhaps more frequently to gauge program effort.