Measuring Coverage in MNCH: A Validation Study Linking Population Survey Derived Coverage to Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Care Records in Rural China

Background: Accurate data on coverage of key maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) interventions are crucial for

monitoring progress toward the Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5. Coverage estimates are primarily obtained from

routine population surveys through self-reporting, the validity of which is not well understood. We aimed to examine the

validity of the coverage of selected MNCH interventions in Gongcheng County, China.

Method and Findings: We conducted a validation study by comparing women’s self-reported coverage of MNCH

interventions relating to antenatal and postnatal care, mode of delivery, and child vaccinations in a community survey with

their paper- and electronic-based health care records, treating the health care records as the reference standard. Of 936

women recruited, 914 (97.6%) completed the survey. Results show that self-reported coverage of these interventions had

moderate to high sensitivity (0.57 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.50–0.63] to 0.99 [95% CI: 0.98–1.