Data Presentation,

Interpretation and Use

 Learning objectives

Participants will be able to:

1. Understand different ways of summarizing data
2. Choose the right table/graph for the right data
and audience
3. Ensure that graphics are self-explanatory
4. Create graphs and tables that are attractive
Do you present yourself like this?
So why would you present your
data like this?
 Or this?

100

80

60
Any net
LLIN
40

20

0
This is Better!

Use of ITNs in Zambia

6
 Effective presentation

• Clear
• Concise
• Actionable
• Attractive
 Effective presentation
• For all communication formats it is important
to ensure that there is:
– Consistency
• Font, Colors, Punctuation, Terminology, Line/
Paragraph Spacing
– An appropriate amount of information
• Less is more
– Appropriate content and format for
audience
• Scientific community, Journalist, Politicians
 Summarizing data

• Tables
– Simplest way to summarize data
– Data is presented as absolute numbers or
percentages
• Charts and graphs
– Visual representation of data
– Usually data is presented using percentages
 Points to remember

• Ensure graphic has a title

• Label the components of your graphic
• Indicate source of data with date
• Provide number of observations (n=xx)
as a reference point
• Add footnote if more information is
needed
 Tips for Presenting Data in PowerPoint

• All text should be readable

• Use sans serif fonts
– Gill Sans (sans serif)
– Times New Roman (serif)
• Use graphs or charts, not tables
• Keep slides simple
• Limit animations and special effects
• Use high contrast text and backgrounds
11
 Choosing a Title

• A title should express

– Who
– What
– When
– Where
Tables: Frequency distribution

Year Number of cases

2000 4 216 531
2001 3 262 931
2002 3 319 339
2003 5 338 008
2004 7 545 541
2005 9 181 224
2006 8 926 058
2007 9 610 691
 Tables: Relative frequency
Percent contribution of reported malaria cases by year between 2000 and 2007, Kenya
Year Number of malaria cases (n) Relative frequency (%)
2000 4 216 531 8
2001 3 262 931 6
2002 3 319 339 7
2003 5 338 008 10
2004 7 545 541 15
2005 9 181 224 18
2006 8 926 058 17
2007 9 610 691 19
Total 51 400 323 100.0
Source: WHO, World Malaria Report 2009
 Use the right type of graphic

• Charts and graphs

– Bar chart: comparisons, categories of data
– Histogram: represents relative frequency of
continuous data
– Line graph: display trends over time,
continuous data (ex. cases per month)
– Pie chart: show percentages or
proportional share
 Bar chart

100

80

60
Any net
LLIN
40

20

0
 Bar Chart

Household Ownership of at Least 1 Net or ITN, 2008

100

80
77
70
60 66
Percent

56 57 Any net
40 45 46 LLIN
38
20

0
Country 1 Country 3 Country 4 Country 5

Source: Quarterly Country Summaries, 2008

 Stacked bar chart

% Children <5 with Fever who Took Specific Antimalarial, 2007-2008

ACT Quinine
Amodiaquine Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine
Chloroquine Other

2007 26 9 20
Year

2008 36 9 11

0 20 40 60 80 100
Percent
 Histogram
Percent contribution of reported malaria cases by year
between 2000 and 2007, Kenya
20
18
16
14
12
Percent

10
Relative Frequency
8
6
4
2
0
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
 Bar Chart v. Histogram

Data fabricated for illustration 20

 Bar Chart v. Histogram (cont.)

Data fabricated for illustration 21

 Population Pyramid: Country Z, 2008

80+
75-79
70-74 Female
Male
65-69
60-64
55-59
50-54
45-49
Age

40-44
35-39
30-34
25-29
20-24
15-19
10-15
5-10
<5
15 10 5 0 5 10 15
Percent
 Line graph
Number of Clinicians* Working in Each Clinic During Years 1-4, Country Y
6

5
Number of clinicians

4
Clinic 1
3
Clinic 2
2 Clinic 3

0
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4
*Includes doctors and nurses.
 Caution: Line Graph
Number of Clinicians* Working in Each Clinic During Years 1-4, Country Y
6

5
Number of clinicians

4
Year 1
3 Year 2
2 Year 3
Year 4
1

0
Clinic 1 Clinic 2 Clinic 3

*Includes doctors and nurses.

 Pie chart

Malaria Cases
8

10

1st Qtr
2nd Qtr
3rd Qtr
4th Qtr
23 59
 Pie chart
Percentage of all confirmed malaria cases treated by quarter, Country X, 2011

8%
10%
1st Qtr
2nd Qtr
3rd Qtr
23% 59% 4th Qtr

N=257
 How should you present…

1. Prevalence of malaria in 3 countries over a 30 year

period?
2. Data comparing prevalence of malaria in 10
different countries?
3. Data on reasons why individuals not using ITNs (out
of all individuals surveyed who own an ITN and are
not using it)?
4. Distribution of patients tested for malaria by
parasite density
 Summary

• Make sure that you present your data in a consistent

format
• Use the right graph for the right data and the right
audience
• Label the components of your graphic (title, axis)
• Indicate source of data and number of observations
(n=xx)
• Add footnote for more explanation
Creating Graphs
 Learning objectives

1. Understand basic chart terminology

2. Create charts in PowerPoint using data in
Excel
3. Give a description of the data presented in
each chart
 Pie Chart

Status of Lost Net Among Households that Lost Any Nets

1% 1%

12%

Net was sold

Net was given away to relatives
Net was given away to others
Material used for other purpose

86%

Source: MEASURE Evaluation, Retention, Use and Achievement of “Universal Access” Following the
Distribution of Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets in Kano State, Nigeria, 2009
 Individual Work: Bar Chart

Parasite Prevalence among Children under Five in

Tanzania, 2008
30
25
20
Percent

15
10 Parasite Prevalence
5
0
6-11 12-23 24-35 36-47 48-59
Age in Months
Source: Tanzania HIV and Malaria Indicator Survey, 2008
 Secondary Axis

Confirmed Malaria Cases and Deaths, Country X

2000-2010
180000 1000
Number of Confirmed Malaria Cases

Number of Confirmed Malaria Deaths

160000
140000 800
120000
600
100000
80000
400
60000
40000 200
20000
0 0
2004

2007

2010
2000

2001

2002

2003

2005

2006

2008

2009
Number of Confirmed Malaria Cases
Number of Confirmed Malaria Deaths
Data Interpretation
 Analysis vs. Interpretation

• Analysis: describing data with tables, graphs, or

narrative; transforming data into information

• Interpretation: adding meaning to information

by making connections and comparisons and by
exploring causes and consequences
 Has the Program Met its Goal?

Use of Nets or ITN by Children <5 yrs of Age, 2008

100
Target >80%
80

60
ITN
40 48

20 29 29
25

0
Country 1 Country 3 Country 4 Country 5
 Interpreting Data

 Does the indicator meet the target?

 What is the programmatic relevance of the finding?
 What are the potential reasons for the finding?
 How does it compare? (trends, group differences)
 What other data should be reviewed to understand
the finding (triangulation)?

 Conduct further analysis

 Practical

• Question:
– Are ANC clinics in country X reaching their coverage
targets for IPTp?
• Data Source:
– Routine health information
 Data Source

General ANC Registers  Which of these variables are

Code Variables relevant to answer your
question?
1. New ANC clients
2. Group pre-test counseled  Which elements will be
3. Individual pre-test counseled included in your numerator
4. Accepted HIV test and which in your
denominator?
5A. HIV test result - Positive
5B. HIV test result – Negative
5C. HIV test result - Indeterminate Answers:
6 A. Post-test counseled - Positive 1) New ANC clients, IPTp-1
6 B. Post-test counseled – Negative 2) New ANC clients =Denominator,
8A. ARV therapy received – Current NVP IPTp-1 and IPTp-2= Numerator
9. IPTp-1
10. IPTp-2
 IPTp Coverage-Facility Performance

Number of ANC clients receiving IPTp

Code Variables Facility 1 Facility 2 Facility 3 Facility 4 Facility 5
9. IPTp-1 536 1435 39 969 862

10. IPTp-2 372 542 38 452 780

 Question:
Among the five facilities, which one performed better?

 Answer:
Cannot tell because we don’t know the denominators
 IPTp Coverage-Facility Performance

Number of ANC clients receiving IPTp

Code Variables Facility 1 Facility 2 Facility 3 Facility 4 Facility 5
1 New ANC Clients 744 2708 105 1077 908

9. IPTp-1 536 1435 39 969 862

10. IPTp-2 372 542 38 452 780

Question: Now, you have the denominators, which of these

facility performed better?
Indicator Facility 1 Facility 2 Facility 3 Facility 4 Facility 5
% of new ANC clients who receive 72% 53% 37% 90% 95%
IPTp-1 in the past year

% of new ANC clients who receive 50% 20% 36% 42% 86%
IPTp-2 in the past year

Response: Facility 5
 Are facilities reaching coverage
targets?

Percent of ANC Clients Receiving IPTp in Select Facilities

100
Target-80%
80
Percent

60
40 IPTp-1
20 IPTp-2
0
1 2 3 4 5
Facility

* National coverage target for pregnant women receiving IPTp-2 is 80%.

 Additional Questions

• Which facility is performing better/worse than

expected?
• What is the trend over time for these facilities?
• How would you assess each facility’s performance
based on the data?
• What other data or information should you consider
in providing recommendations or guidance to the
facilities?
Data Dissemination
 Learning Objectives
By the end of this session, participants will be
able to identify:
1. The purpose of dissemination
2. Dissemination issues and concerns
3. Strengths and weaknesses of different
communication formats
4. The main components of a dissemination plan
 Dissemination Framework

Improved
Informed Informed
Results Dissemination Programs/
User Decisions
Policies

Source: MEASURE DHS

 Purpose of Dissemination

• Disseminating data can help potential

users:
– Understand current health status
– Reach decisions based on quality data
– Make changes to existing health
programs and policies
– Take other actions to improve health
outcomes
 Plan Materials Carefully

• Use different formats if possible, including:

– Print materials
• HIS Reports, Success story, Posters, Key findings, Fact
Sheet, Press Report
– PowerPoint presentations
– CD-ROMS with datasets
– Videos
– Online media
 Focus on a Specific Audience
• Create different materials for different users:
– Meet the audience’s needs
– Translate materials into local languages
– Produce reports on specific topics
• Impact
• LLINs
• Case Management
• IPTp
– Match the medium to the audience
 Make Sense of the Data

• Help users make sense of the data:

– Add policy recommendations and conclusions
– Highlight key points
– Break down findings by categories of interest
• Province
• Education
• Wealth
– Use maps and graphics to convey information
 Put Findings in Context

• Put survey findings in context:

– Show trends over time
– Make comparisons with other countries in
the region
– Link findings with national or regional
programs and policies
Appropriate and Attractive Presentation

• Provide an appropriate amount of information

– Less is more
– Try to identify the most important pieces of
information and avoid overwhelming the user
with too much data
• Make materials appealing to look at whenever
possible
• Balance text and graphics
– Use pictures and graphs
 How much is enough information?
In Tanzania, P. falciparum malaria, which is spread by the anopheles mosquito, is the leading cause of death among children under the age of five years. Young children have
increased susceptibility to symptomatic malaria as they have not yet acquired immunity to the malaria parasite.
Pregnant women are also especially vulnerable because their immunity to the parasite is suppressed during pregnancy and the parasite often sequesters itself in the
placenta – leading to both maternal morbidity due to anemia and low birth weight deliveries.
Mosquitoes need standing water to breed. Therefore, there are more mosquitoes in the environment (and thus higher malaria transmission) during the rainy season than
during the dry season. There are two rainy seasons in Tanzania: from October through January and from March through May (Figure 2).
Malaria control efforts in Tanzania focus on the following three interventions to prevent malaria among women and children under five years of age including:
Bednets
Used correctly, bednets offer protection from mosquito bites and thereby reduce the transmission of malaria. While all bednets can protect the people sleeping under them,
insecticide-treated nets (ITN) are especially effective because they both block the mosquito bite and kill any mosquitoes that land on the net. Pilot studies promoting
ITNs have shown increased child survival and reduced anemia among children under five years of age, as well as reduced maternal morbidity and low birth weight
deliveries.
Intermittent Preventive Treatment in Pregnancy
Intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) reduces placental malaria and anemia in pregnant women as well as the incidence of low birth weight deliveries. The
regimen for IPTp recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) is two to three doses of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) given to pregnant women after
quickening (the first fetal movements felt by the mother) in the second and third trimesters during routine antenatal care visits. As resistance to SP is growing in
much of sub-Saharan Africa, researchers are investigating the efficacy of this drug for IPTp and exploring the safety of other more effective medications for this
purpose.
Prompt and Effective Treatment
To reduce morbidity and mortality from malaria, young children should be treated as soon as symptoms (usually fever) appear. Moreover, it is important that they receive
the correct medication. In much of sub-Saharan Africa, the malaria parasite has developed resistance to older medications such as chloroquine, amodiaquine and
sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine. Consequently, Tanzania has changed its treatment guidelines to recommend treatment with artemisinin-based combination therapies
(ACTs).
President’s Malaria Initiative. 2008. Malaria in Tanzania. Available online at: http://www.fightingmalaria.gov/countries/profiles/tanzania.html
D’Alessandro, U. et al. 1995. Mortality and morbidity from Malaria in Gambian children after introduction of an impregnated bednet program. Lancet, 345(8948), 479-483.
Schulman, C.E., and E.K. Dorman. 2003. Importance and prevention of malaria during pregnancy. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 97.
Schellenberg, J.R. et al. 2001. Effect of large-scale social marketing of insecticide-treated nets on child survival in rural Tanzania. Lancet, 357 (9264), 1241-1247.
Ter Kuile, F.O., et al. 2003. Reduction of malaria during pregnancy by permethrin-treated bed nets in an area of intense perennial malaria transmission in western Kenya.
American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 68 (Suppl. 4) 50-60.
Roll Back Malaria, World Health Organization. 2003. Reducing the burden of malaria in pregnancy. Available online at:
http://www.who.int/malaria/rbm/Attachment/20040713/MeraJan2003.pdf
World Health Organization. 2008. The World Malaria Report, 2008. Available online at: http://malaria.who.int/wmr2008/malaria2008.pdf
 Components of a Dissemination Plan

1. Project overview
2. Dissemination goals and objectives
3. Target audiences
4. Key messages
5. Sources/messengers
6. Dissemination activities, tools, timing, and
responsibilities
7. Budget
8. Evaluation Plan
Source: Canadian Health Services Research Foundation
 Dissemination Planning Matrix
Activity Target Tools Person Timing
Audience Responsible
Present results Partner Powerpoint Jane September 2014
at partner organizations Presentation,
meetings Full report
(Printed,
electronic)
Present results Scientific Poster John November 2014
at health Community
conferences
Publish results in Scientific Article John December 2013
peer-reviewed Community
journals
Alert media General Interview, news Alice December 2013
about the above population segment
activities
Present results Community Oral Alice June 2013
to community members presentation
members with interactive
exercises
 Engage in Capacity-building

• Combine dissemination with capacity-building:

– Help users understand context and
terminology
– Train users to read tables and charts
– Provide exercises on using data
– Always ask users to consider implications of
the information for programs and policy
 Dissemination Issues/Concerns

• Data Literacy
– Understanding terminology
– Understanding concepts of sampling errors,
confidence intervals
– Reading tables
– Comparing multiple data sources
• National and regional data vs district planning
• Timing of dissemination vs national planning
cycle
 Dissemination Issues/Concerns

• Getting information out of the capital city

• Extending dissemination beyond the
immediate post-release period
• Difficulty tracking and monitoring use
Tracking Information Use
 Learning objectives
By the end of this session, participants will be
able to identify:
1. Methods of tracking data and information use
2. Opportunities for improving data production and
use
3. Opportunities for feedback mechanisms
4. Points where analysis & data could support
programmatic decision making
Methods of Tracking Information Use

• Assessing coverage targets

• Key information interviews
• Meetings with staff
 Information Flow

Managers,
Program Feedback Reports Government
, Donors

Compiled
Clinical data,
histories, some Analysts,
service analysis evaluators
statistics

Service Delivery Higher levels: district, province,

Point national
 Information Use in Country X

• Local health centers and hospitals report up

through system
• However, local facilities never received full
reports
• Identified opportunities for feedback
through Information Use Map
Reasons to Assess Information Flow

• Local data not used locally

• Higher-level information does not return back
to local level
• Local data not assessed in broad context
• Little incentive to produce high-quality data
 Information Use Mapping

• Purpose
– Describe existing flow of health information to
identify opportunities for improving its use
• Description
– Identifies gaps and opportunities for using
information
– Identifies opportunities for additional feedback
mechanisms
– Identifies points where analysis & data could
support programmatic decision making
Information Use Map: National HIV/AIDS Program May 2005
Data Collection Compilation Storage Analysis Reporting Use

Private Clinic
Data collected in
electronic medical
records

N60 Data collected both Reporting to

electronically and N60
paper-based headquarters

Government
Data collected Data compiled
Facility by paper-based in monthly
system reports

District
Data compiled in
quarterly reports

Regional
Data compiled in
quarterly reports

National Reporting to
WHO 6FAM
Data stored Data Development
in national analyzed of 5-year
HIV database Annual state of strategic plan
the program
report prepared
Information Use Map: National HIV/AIDS Program May 2005
Data Collection Compilation Storage Analysis Reporting Use

Private Clinic Results reported

Client data Clinic data Conduct client Use for clinic
collected in EMRS stored in EMRS and clinic level to clinic service planning
analysis management and improvement

NGO Data collected both NGO data stored Conduct client Results reported Use for program
in EMRS and in EMRS or in and site level to NGO head- planning and
paper-based paper records analysis quarters & donor improvement

Government
Client data Clinic staff Results reported
Facility Facility level data Conduct client Use for program
collected by compile data in
stored in filing and facility level planning and
paper-based monthly to facility
cabinets analysis improvement
system summary reports management

District
District level staff Results reported
compile data in Conduct district Use in district
quarterly summary level analysis program planning
to district
reports and improvement
management

Regional Results reported

Regional level staff Conduct regional
Use in regional
compile data in level analysis
to regional program planning
quarterly summary
management and improvement
reports

National Data Reporting to Development of

Data stored
analyzed WHO 6FAM 5-year strategic
in national
plan
HIV database
More
Annual state of
sophisticated Use in national
the program
analysis program and policy
report prepared
conducted planning and
resource allocation
 Key Messages

• Actual flow of data and information can reveal

barriers to improving data quality and use
• Information Use Map can highlight
intervention points
How does information flow
through your organization?
 References

• Canadian Health Services Research Foundation. Developing a

Dissemination Plan. Available at:
http://www.chsrf.ca/knowledge_transfer/pdf/dissemination_
plan_f.pdf
• Laurie Liskin. “Dissemination and Data Use Tools”. MEASURE
DHS. PowerPoint Presentation. 17 June 2009
• MEASURE DHS. “Module 7: Disseminating and Using Data for
Change”. PowerPoint Presentation. Kenya, June 2010
MEASURE Evaluation is a MEASURE program project funded by
the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) through
Cooperative Agreement GHA-A-00-08-00003-00 and is
implemented by the Carolina Population Center at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in partnership with
Futures Group International, John Snow, Inc., ICF Macro,
Management Sciences for Health, and Tulane University.

Visit us online at http://www.cpc.unc.edu/measure

Visit us online at http://www.cpc.unc.edu/measure.