Low-and Middle-Income Countries
Sample weights
Child Disciplinary Practices at Home
72
Sample weights are required in the analysis of complex surveys to account for the unequal probability of selection of sampling units. The household was the ultimate sampling unit in MICS3 surveys, and a sample weight was computed for each sample household based on the unequal probability of selection, unit non-response and non-coverage. Most countries used household weights in the analysis of MICS3 data on child discipline for their national reports. Using the sampling design described above and the household weights, results were replicated for estimates of sample means, standard errors, design effect and other statistics. For the analysis of the Child Discipline Module in the context of this report, the research team agreed to use child-based weights, which were computed by multiplying the household weight by the number of children aged 2–14 in the household. Alternative examinations of the data found that the analytical results using child-based weights better represented the prevalence of violent child discipline than results using household weights. Unlike the MICS3 Child Labour and Child Disability Modules, which are administered to all children in a given age range in a household, the Child Discipline Module is administered to only one, randomly selected child aged 2–14 in each household. Therefore, if household weights are used to compute the prevalence of violent discipline, the results will only be applicable to the sampled children rather than to all children aged 2–14. Using child-based weights makes the findings representative of all children aged 2 to 14 years in a given country. Analyses using household and child-based weights produce different estimates of child discipline, unless children from households with smaller and larger numbers of children have the same probability of experiencing violent discipline. In fact, previous research has established that overcrowded housing is a major risk factor for harsh child discipline. Therefore, the results of the current analysis are slightly different from those presented in the national MICS3 survey reports. Table A1 calculates the percentage of children aged 2–14 in each country who have experienced any violent discipline in two ways: using household weights and child-based weights. With the exception of four countries, the estimates generated using child-based weights are 1 to 3 percentage points higher than the estimates produced using household weights. This difference is a clear indication that children who have more siblings at home are more likely to experience violent discipline.