Methodological issues in a disablement prevalence study: Mitchells Plain, South Africa

SummaryThe Mitchells Plain Disability Survey was undertaken primarily to expand a community-based rehabilitation programme in an underprivileged South African urban community. This descriptive survey used a proportional stratified random cluster sampling strategy (sample size 2424), with stratification by suburb and clusters consisting of 15 adjacent plots. A household screening questionnaire (based on the WHO disability questionnaire), identified people who reported health problems affecting their functional ability, while a second follow-up interview confirmed disablement status and obtained a medical, disablement and demographic profile of the disabled and ascertained their needs. This paper discusses different methodological issues related to the survey design and emphasizes the need for standardization of methods in the disablement field. Sampling issues include sample loss in a multi-staged data collection strategy as well as the non-independence of observations when sampling entire households. The ...