Description
For women who gave birth in the last three to five years, AGESOLID_ALL (M26_x) reports the age, in months, at which the child was first given solid or mushy food on a regular basis.
AGESOLID_ALL consists of a set of up to six separate variables, covering the most recent birth (AGESOLID_01) up to, potentially, the sixth-most-recent birth (i.e., AGESOLID_02, AGESOLID_03, AGESOLID_04, AGESOLID_05, and AGESOLID_06) during the reference period prior to the survey. If AGESOLID_ALL is included in a data extract, all these separate variables are included in a researcher's data file.
The information in AGESOLID_ALL was collected for all births within the reference period preceding the survey. In many cases, data were hypothetically collected on up to six births, but no women in the survey had so many births (e.g., no woman had 4 or more births in 3 years, or had 5 or 6 births in 5 years). If, for example, no woman in a survey had 6 births in five years and only blank values were included in the original DHS file, then AGESOLID_06 would not be available for that survey in IPUMS-DHS.
Some samples, noted in the Comparability section, collected this information for the last-born child only (AGESOLID_01).
Comparability
In addition to universe differences, AGESOLID_ALL (M26_x) incorporates some differences in the wording of the question. Most survey forms include the wording "Any solid or mushy food?" Some samples, discussed below, used alternative question wording.
Comparability - Standard DHS
AGESOLID_ALL (M26_x) is included in the standard DHS questionnaire for Phase 2 only.
Universe
- Burkina Faso 1993: Women age 15-49 who gave birth in the 5 years before the survey.
- Cameroon 1991: Women age 15-49 who gave birth in the 5 years before the survey.
- Egypt 1992: Ever-married women age 15-49 who gave birth in the 5 years before the interview.
- Ghana 1993: Women age 15-49 who gave birth in the 3 years before the survey.
- India 1992: Ever-married women age 13-49 who gave birth in the 4 years before the survey.
- Jordan 1990: Ever-married women age 15-49 who gave birth in the 5 years before the interview.
- Madagascar 1992: Women age 15-49 who gave birth in the 5 years before the survey.
- Malawi 1992: Women age 15-49 who gave birth in the 5 years before the survey.
- Morocco 1992: Women age 15-49 who gave birth in the 5 years before the survey.
- Namibia 1992: Women age 15-49 who gave birth in the 5 years before the survey.
- Niger 1992: Women age 15-49 who gave birth in the 5 years before the survey.
- Nigeria 1990: Women age 15-49 who gave birth in the 5 years before the survey.
- Pakistan 1991: Ever-married women age 15-49 who gave birth in the 5 years before the interview.
- Rwanda 1992: Women age 15-49 who gave birth in the 5 years before the survey.
- Senegal 1992: Women age 15-49 who gave birth in the 5 years before the survey.
- Senegal 1997: Women age 15-49 who gave birth in the 5 years before the survey.
- Sri Lanka 1987: Ever-married women age 15-49 who gave birth in the 5 years before the interview.
- Sudan 1989: Ever-married women age 15-49 who gave birth in the 5 years before the survey and whose last-born child was ever breastfed and has eaten solid or mushy food on a regular basis.
- Tanzania 1991: Women age 15-49 who gave birth in the 5 years before the survey.
- Yemen 1991: Ever-married women age 15-54 who gave birth in the 5 years before the interview.
- Zambia 1992: Women age 15-49 who gave birth in the 5 years before the survey.
