Tanzania Neonatal Dataset: Caregiver Perception and Health-Seeking Behavior

Seven verbal and social autopsy studies from Africa and Asia inform this dataset on neonatal and infant illness severity and careseeking. It contains data used to develop a 2-sign and multiple sign method for classifying illness severity based on activity level and feeding behavior. The dataset, authored by Henry D. Kalter and last updated in May 2026, examines the relationship between caregiver perception and formal healthcare utilization during fatal illnesses.

Use Cases

• Developing illness severity classification models based on activity level and feeding behavior signs.
• Analyzing the relationship between caregiver perception of illness severity and formal healthcare seeking.
• Investigating demographic and illness-related covariates associated with careseeking behavior.
• Comparing careseeking patterns for infectious versus intrapartum- or prematurity-related conditions.

Strengths

• Derived from seven distinct verbal and social autopsy studies across multiple countries.
• Includes a developed 2-sign method for practical neonatal illness severity assessment.
• Analyzes multivariate relationships with reported adjusted odds ratios and confidence intervals.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the seven source studies.

Provenance

Source

Henry D. Kalter via figshare.

Collection Method

Aggregated from seven verbal and social autopsy studies.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-22 17:46:39; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Studies conducted in Africa and Asia, with specific analysis for Tanzania.