For the 1999 KDHS sixty-four persons were recruited as field supervisors, editors, health investigators and interviewers and were trained at the Academy of Preventive Medicine for three and a half weeks. Training consisted of lectures and practice in the classroom, as well as interviewing in the field. The training of health investigators, who were responsible for anthropometric measurements (height and weight) and hemoglobin testing of women and children, was accomplished by two days in the classroom and three days in the field.
The 1999 KDHS field staff represented various medical-research and educational institutions in Kazakhstan, including Asfendiyarov National Medical University, Karaganda State Medical Academy, South Kazakhstan State Medical Academy, International Kazakh-Turkish University, National Research Center for Maternal and Child Health, National Research Center for Pediatrics and Pediatric Surgery, National Institute of Nutrition, Institute of Tuberculosis, School of Public Health, National Medical College, and Zhezkazgan Department of Health. The Academy of Preventive Medicine recruited five field coordinators who were responsible for facilitating the communication and coordination between the Academy and the interviewing teams.
Questionnaires were returned to the Academy of Preventive Medicine for data processing. The office editing staff checked that questionnaires for all selected households and eligible respondents were returned from the field. The few questions that had not been precoded (e.g., occupation) were coded at this time. Data were then entered and edited on microcomputers using the Integrated System for Survey Analysis (ISSA) package, with the data entry software translated into Russian.
For 2012 HHS the Academy of Preventive Medicine took a team approach to data collection. The advantages of working in teams are many, but the main one is the ability to achieve a higher level of supervision of the work. An additional reason was the need for special means of transportation for most interviewers. In addition, safeguarding the wellbeing of the field staff is another important reason for working in teams.
Data collection was done by 8 teams comprising one supervisor, five interviewers and one anthropometrist. The fieldwork took approximately three months. It would be expected that each team can complete 1.5 sample points per week. The goal was to make sure that enough questionnaires as well as other field forms would be printed and that household listing forms and cartographic materials would be ready prior to the start of the fieldwork.
Close communication was maintained at all times between the central office of the Academy of Preventive Medicine and HHS teams during the survey. The details regarding supervision and communications were discussed during training and will be included in the interviewer and supervisor manuals.