Methodology for Robust Revalidation of the CHERG VASA Tool to Investigate Under-5 Deaths in Karachi Slums: A Mixed Methods Approach
CHERG VASA: Methodology for revalidating for Karachi Slums
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62807/jowach.v1i1.2023.12-17Keywords:
verbal autopsy, social autopsy, validity, reliability, tool validation, mixed-methodsAbstract
Objectives: This methodology paper outlines a mixed-methods study design to: (i) further validate the Child Health Epidemiology Reference Group (CHERG) Verbal-Social Autopsy (VASA) tool quantitatively on a larger representative sample in Karachi, (ii) gather qualitative feedback from users, and (iii) refine the tool accordingly to optimize its use investigating under-5 mortality in urban Pakistan.
Methods: An explanatory sequential mixed methods design will be applied to revalidate the CHERG VASA tool in 7 districts of Karachi. The quantitative arm will validate the tool through analysis of data from under-5 deaths identified via stratified random sampling. Validation techniques will include assessment of criterion validity against hospital records, content validity, construct validity, reliability analysis. This will be followed by a qualitative component with cognitive interviews and focus group discussions with respondents to illicit feedback on user experiences with the tool. Qualitative data will undergo framework analysis. Tool refinement will occur integrating both quantitative and qualitative findings.
Discussion: Combining robust statistical validation from a substantial representative sample with in-depth qualitative insights on tool design and functionality will lead to an enhanced context-specific instrument to reliably investigate determinants of under-5 mortality in the slums of Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city.
Keywords: verbal autopsy, social autopsy, validity, reliability, scale validation, mixed-methods
References
United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN-IGME). Levels & trends in child mortality: Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation. https://data.unicef.org/resources/levels-and-trends-in-child-mortality/. Accessed [12th December 2023].
Siddiqui M. , Ng C. , & Low W.. Methodologies of verbal autopsy and social autopsy tools, adopted by vasa studies in exploring under-five mortality determinants. International Journal of Endorsing Health Science Research 2018;6(3):43-55. https://doi.org/10.29052/ijehsr.v6.i3.2018.43-55
Siddiqui MB, Ng CW, Low WY Social autopsy is a dire need for investigating child mortality in pakistan. International Journal of Endorsing Health Science Research (Ijehsr) 2016;4(2):01. https://doi.org/10.29052/ijehsr.v4.i2.2016.01-04
Siddiqui MB, Ng CW, Low WY Need to validate verbal autopsy/social autopsy (vasa) integrated tool for developing countries to assign biological and social reasoning of child mortalities. International Journal of Endorsing Health Science Research (Ijehsr) 2017;5(3):01. https://doi.org/10.29052/ijehsr.v5.i3.2017.01-03
Siddiqui MB, Ng CW, Low WY, Abid K Validation of CHERG’S Verbal Autopsy-Social Autopsy (VASA) tool for ascertaining determinants and causes of under-five child mortality in Pakistan. PLoS ONE 2023; 18(12): e0278149. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278149
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Journal of Women and Child Health
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The Journal of Women and Child Health (JoWaCH) adheres to the CC BY 4.0 license, which is a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. For comprehensive information, we kindly request that you refer to the full license legal code. JoWaCH employs a non-exclusive license agreement for the purpose of open-access publication. In the context of open access publishing, the authors maintain the copyright of their work while also granting the journal the rights to publish and distribute it, while retaining the primary academic use rights. This practice facilitates the optimal use and dissemination of the work, while also guaranteeing proper attribution to the original source. The handling of manuscript content shall be conducted with confidentiality, with the exception of cases involving review processes and investigations related to potential misconduct, plagiarism, and duplicate/redundant or overlapping publications, in accordance with the guidelines provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) COPE Guidelines.
JoWaCH is prohibited from disseminating content derived from previously published scientific work without obtaining proper authorization. Obtaining permission from the copyright holder, who may be either the author(s) or the publisher, is necessary in cases where the copyright holder is the publisher, for any work you want to use.
While it is acceptable to use a small amount of a work, obtaining permission from the copyright owners is necessary for a significant extraction.
The use of unmodified or little modified tables, graphs, and artworks (whether they are the user's own work previously published elsewhere or created by another copyright holder) necessitates obtaining permission.
Tables, graphs, charts, and artworks that have been fully redesigned and rebuilt, and include proper reference of the source, do not need obtaining permission.
JoWaCH facilitates unrestricted access to journal material for readers, necessitating the imposition of membership fees. The journal operates on a self-sustaining financial model and does not rely on support from other sources. The procedure of publishing is contingent only upon the financial resources of the publisher. The readers have unrestricted access to the information on the journal website.
