Assessing the Validity of Sexual Behaviour Reporting among Young Women in Kampala, Uganda: Evidence from a Randomised Interview Mode Experiment with Biological Data

Christine A. Kelly, Population Council
Paul C. Hewett, Population Council
Barbara S. Mensch, Population Council
Sam Nsobya, Molecular Research Laboratory (MOLAB), MU-UCSF
Sam Kalibala, Population Council
Wilson Nyegenye, Uganda Bureau of Statistics
Pamela Kakande, Uganda Bureau of Statistics

Understanding of the transmission dynamics of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections is critically dependent on accurate behavioral data. This paper investigates the effect of questionnaire delivery mode on the quality of sexual behavior reporting using the women’s instrument of the 2006 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey. We compare the reported prevalence of five indicators of sexual activity across three interview modes: traditional face-to-face interview (FTFI), FTFI administered via computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI), and audio computer-assisted self-interviewing (ACASI). We then assess the validity of the data by evaluating reporting of sexual behavior against three biological outcomes. Results suggest that ACASI elicits higher reporting of some key indicators than do face-to-face interviews, but the data are subject to validity concerns.