Comparing Reports of Health-Seeking Behavior From the Integrated Illness History and a Standard Child Morbidity Survey

Abstract

The Integrated Illness History (IIH) is a concurrent mixed methods adaptation of event history narratives to study illnesses in social context. Qualitative and quantitative techniques are integrated in the instrument design, interview, and data analysis. This method permits the simultaneous collection of qualitative and quantitative data about perceptions of an illness, the sequence of illness-related events, and the context of seeking care. A standard pattern of open- and closed-ended questions and a systematic method of recall guide the interview. Responses are recorded in a time-by-event matrix using codes and text. Spontaneous, open-ended probes about observed behavioral patterns complete the interview. Comparing care-takers' responses to episodes of diarrhea among their children obtained using the IIH and a standard child morbidity questionnaire in Minya, Egypt, demonstrates that the IIH gathers novel and more complete information about care seeking for sick children in this setting.