This survey was among the first to use PDAs for data collection in rural Africa. The innovation was viewed very positively by interviewers and respondents. IFS researchers conducted capacity building exercises with partners in Malawi, providing extensive training on the use of PDAs and other technology for data collection. Partners in Malawi have now adopted this new technology for their own data collection purposes.

To extend the usefulness of these data for other researchers, we are currently linking the information for pregnant women to another survey that contains detailed information on their reproductive health. This will create a new public use dataset combining information on health and socio-economic characteristics. Such data are not widely available for Malawi, and will offer researchers from different fields a unique opportunity to study the links between health and socio-economic outcomes in an African context.