Quality Assessment of Data on Marital Status and Educational Achievement in the WHO MONICA Project

Table 3. Marital status (MARIT): details of the question used in the initial survey and changes in the question between the surveys (see Section 3.2.1)
RUA Question as in MONICA Manual 1 Number of answer categories Recoded for transfer Comments Change 2 between Ini and Mid survey Change 3 between Mid and Fin survey
AUS-NEWa no 5 ir missing: cohabitating, other yes 6 yes 16
AUS-PERa no 5 ir missing: cohabitating, other no yes 17
AUS-PERb snd snd snd - yes 7 yes 17
BEL-CHAa no 7 yes more answer categories no no
BEL-GHEa no 7 yes more answer categories no no
BEL-LUXa . . . no questionnaire available snd snd
CAN-HALa ir ir ir - snd yes 18
CHN-BEIa no 5 ir missing: separated no yes 19
CZE-CZEa no 5 ir missing: separated 4 no yes 20
DEN-GLOa no 4 yes combined from two questions: legal marital status and "living together" no no
FIN-KUOa no 4 ir missing: other no no
FIN-NKAa no 4 ir missing: other no no
FIN-TULa no 4 ir missing: other no no
RUA Question as in MONICA Manual 1 Number of answer categories Recoded for transfer Comments Change 2 between Ini and Mid survey Change 3 between Mid and Fin survey
FRA-LILa yes 5 ir - snd no
FRA-STRa no 4 ir missing: other snd yes 12
FRA-TOUa yes 5 ir - no no
GER-AURa no 6 . more answer categories, missing: other no no
GER-AUUa no 6 . more answer categories, missing: other no no
GER-BERa yes 5 ir - no snd
GER-BREa no 5 ir missing: cohabitating, other no yes 6
GER-BREb snd snd snd - yes 8 yes 6
GER-COTa ir ir ir - yes 9 snd
GER-EGEc yes 5 ir - no no
GER-EGEd ir ir ir - yes 9 no
GER-ERFa ir ir ir - yes 9 yes 21
GER-HACa yes 5 ir - no snd
GER-KMSc ir ir ir - yes 9 snd
GER-KMSd yes 5 ir - no snd
GER-RDMf yes 5 ir - snd snd
GER-RDMe ir ir ir - snd snd
GER-RHNa yes 4 ir missing: other snd snd
RUA Question as in MONICA Manual 1 Number of answer categories Recoded for transfer Comments Change 2 between Ini and Mid survey Change 3 between Mid and Fin survey
HUN-BUDa ir ir ir - yes 9 snd
HUN-PECa ir ir ir - no snd
ICE-ICEa no 4 ir missing: separated yes 10 no
ISR-TELa no 4 ir missing: cohabitating, separated, other snd snd
ITA-BRIa yes 5 ir - no no
ITA-FRIa yes 5 ir - no no
ITA-LATa yes 5 ir - snd snd
LTU-KAUa no 5 ir missing: cohabitating, separated no no
MLT-MLTa no 4 ir missing: cohabitating, divorced, other snd snd
NEZ-AUCa no 7 . more answer categories, missing: other snd yes 22
POL-TARa no 4 yes cohabitating coded as married 5 no no
POL-WARa no 4 yes cohabitating coded as married 5 no no
ROM-BUCa yes 5 ir - snd snd
RUA Question as in MONICA Manual 1 Number of answer categories Recoded for transfer Comments Change 2 between Ini and Mid survey Change 3 between Mid and Fin survey
RUS-MOCa no 4 ir missing: cohabitating, other yes 11 no
RUS-MOIa no 4 ir missing: cohabitating, other yes 11 no
RUS-MOIb no 4 ir missing: cohabitating, other snd snd
RUS-NOCa no 4 yes missing: cohabitating, separated, other yes 12 no
RUS-NOCb no 4 yes missing: cohabitating, separated, other snd snd
RUS-NOIa no 4 yes missing: cohabitating, separated, other yes 12 no
SPA-CATa yes 5 ir - no no
SWE-GOTa ir ir ir - yes 9 no
SWE-NSWa no 6 . more answer categories yes 13 no
SWI-TICa no 4 ir missing: other no no
SWI-VAFa no 4 ir missing: other no no
UNK-BELa no ir ir categories not specified, taken from separate list yes 14 no
UNK-GLAa no 5 yes missing: cohabitating, other yes 6 no
USA-STAa no 5 ir missing: cohabitating, other no no
YUG-NOSa yes 5 ir - yes 15 no
RUA Question as in MONICA Manual 1 Number of answer categories Recoded for transfer Comments Change 2 between Ini and Mid survey Change 3 between Mid and Fin survey

Key: snd = survey not done, ir = irrelevant

1 Coded irrelevant if MARIT was not asked in initial survey.
2 Snd = no middle survey.
3 Change between initial and final survey, if no middle survey. Snd = no final survey.
4 Separated unusual, coded as divorced.
5 Divorced and separated coded as other in MCC but recoded for transfer.
6 Cohabitating included.
7 No initial survey, middle survey questionnaire as in AUS-PERa.
8 No initial survey, middle survey questionnaire as in GER-BREa.
9 MARIT not asked in initial survey, middle survey question as in MONICA Manual.
10 Separated included.
11 Cohabitating and other included, separated excluded.
12 Other included.
13 Categories revised to correspond those in MONICA Manual.
14 More answer categories (6), recoded for transfer.
15 Other excluded.
16 Cohabitating excluded.
17 Added 'De Facto' (= cohabitating).
18 MARIT not asked in initial survey, missing category in final survey: other.
19 Separated included (according to translation).
20 Added a category for re-married.
21 Cohabitating, separated and other excluded.
22 Re-married excluded, cohabitating = permanent relationship.