SUB-MODULE 5:

SAMPLING DESIGNS
Ophelia M. Mendoza, DrPH

Adopted by
Josielyn M. Toledo, PhD
 LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of the session, the learner should be able to:
1. Identify examples of the applications of sampling in
health research;
2. Define the meaning of basic sampling concepts;
3. Differentiate between probability and non-probability
sampling designs; and
4. Describe the procedures in implementing the basic
probability sampling designs
 1. APPLICATIONS OF SAMPLING
IN HEALTH RESEARCH
a. Sampling of individuals
• Determining the health status of populations
• Evaluating the effectiveness of health measures
b. Sampling of health facilities/institutions
• Evaluating the performance of health facilities (ex.,
level of utilization; adequacy of equipment, etc.)
• Assessing the status of health facilities (ex.,
determining the level of disaster preparedness of
hospitals)
 1. APPLICATIONS OF SAMPLING
IN HEALTH RESEARCH
c. Sampling of communities
• Determining investments of LGUs in health (ex., % of total
budget allocated for health; preparation and
implementation of Disaster Preparedness Plan)
• Determining status of communities in relation to
environmental health and climate change variables (ex.,
level of air pollution; amount of rainfall; temperature
change, etc.)
d. Sampling of non-human populations
• Water sampling to determine potability
• Sampling of shellfish to determine incidence of red tide or
sampling of fish sold in markets to determine incidence of
use of formalin as preservative
 2. ADVANTAGES OF SAMPLING
a. It is cheaper.
b. It is faster.
c. Better quality of information can be
collected.
d. More comprehensive data may be obtained.
e. It is the only possible method when the
procedure is destructive.
 3. DEFINITION OF TERMS USED IN SAMPLING
a. Population – the entire group of individuals or items of interest in the
study
b. Target population – the group from which representative information
is desired and to which inferences will be made. Whatever conclusions
will be derived from the study, will be generalized to the target
population.
c. Sampling Population – the population from which a sample will
actually be taken
 

Ideally, the target population should be the same as the sampling population. However there are
certain instances when there is a gap between the two, resulting from limited resources and other
field realities. When this occurs, what is important is for the investigator to determine the extent
and direction of the bias (if any) created by the gap between the target and the sampling
population
 
 DEFINITION OF TERMS USED IN SAMPLING

d. Elementary unit or elements – an object or a person

on which a measurement is actually taken
e. Sampling Unit – units which are chosen in selecting
the sample
f. Sampling frame – a listing or any other material like
spot maps or aerial photographs which shows or
accounts for the target population. It is a collection
of the sampling units
 4. TYPES OF SAMPLING DESIGNS
4.1 Non-probability Sampling Designs
a. The probability of each member of the sampling population to be selected in
the sample is difficult to determine or cannot be specified, hence the
reliability of the resulting estimates of the sample results cannot be assessed.
b. The external validity of the results becomes an issue

c. Examples of non-probability sampling designs are:

• Purposive sampling
• Judgment sampling
• Convenience or accidental sampling
• Snow-ball technique or referral sampling

d. These are the types of designs usually used in qualitative studies.

 4. TYPES OF SAMPLING DESIGNS
4.2 Probability Sampling Designs
a. The rules and procedures for selecting the sample
and estimating the parameters are explicitly and
rigidly specified.
b. The reliability of the resulting estimates can be
determined
c. Most quantitative studies use probability sampling
designs in the selection of subjects.
5. COMPONENTS OF A SAMPLING DESIGN
a. Where? -- geographic area to be covered by the survey
b. Who? – elements (households, mothers, infants, etc.) to be
studied in the survey. In cases when the subjects of the survey
are not in a position to provide the information (ex., young
children, sick elderly), the actual survey respondents must be
indicated
c. How many? – sample size; number of elements to be included
in the survey and its basis. The values of important parameters
considered in sample size determination must be explicitly
indicated (ex., specific variable used as basis, anticipated
value of the variable, confidence level; margin of error; power
of the test, etc.)
5. COMPONENTS OF A SAMPLING DESIGN
d. How to select? – procedures to be followed in selecting the
elements to be included. If stratification variables are used,
these should be mentioned with a concise justification why
they were considered. If multi-stage sampling is used, the
sampling units at each level of selection and the
corresponding sampling frames used must be mentioned.

e. When? – refers to the time period for the conduct of the

survey. This is an important consideration when the
variable being studied has seasonality
6. TYPES OF PROBABILITY
SAMPLING DESIGNS
 6.1 SIMPLE RANDOM SAMPLING
Characteristics:
Every element in the population has an equal chance of
being included in the sample

Procedures for Sample Selection

a. Prepare the sampling frame
b. Number all the population elements in the sampling
frame chronologically from 1 to N, where N is the
population size
c. Determine the required sample size, n.
 6.1 SIMPLE RANDOM SAMPLING
Procedures for Sample Selection
d. Select n numbers at random between 1 and N,
using either the lottery method or computer –
generated random numbers using a software like
Excel
e. The population elements in the list whose
numbers correspond to the n numbers randomly
selected will comprise the simple random sample
6.2 STRATIFIED RANDOM SAMPLING

Characteristics:
This design is used when the investigator wants to:
a. ensure that groups of interest or subsections of the
population considered important for the study are
adequately represented
b. derive reasonably precise estimates for important
subsections of the population
6.2 STRATIFIED RANDOM SAMPLING
Procedures:
1. Identify the stratification variable.
2. Classify the population elements according to the
categories of the stratification variable
3. Number the population elements chronologically from 1
to N, within each category of the stratification variable.
4. Determine the sample size needed from each stratum
5. Within each stratum, select the required number of
samples by simple random sampling.
 COMPARISON OF THE METHOD OF SAMPLE SELECTION
BETWEEN SIMPLE AND STRATIFIED RANDOM SAMPLING
Suppose we have the following:
N=800 households of which: NUrban = 320 and Nrural = 480
n=200 households of which: nUrban = 80 and nRural = 120
SAMPLING DESIGN SAMPLING FRAME
Simple random List of 800 households, numbered
sampling chronologically from 1 to 800
Stratified random Two sampling frames are needed:
sampling a. For URBAN areas: List of 320 urban
households, chronologically numbered
between 1 and 320
b. For RURAL areas:
List of 480 rural households,
chronologically numbered between 1
and 480
METHOD OF SAMPLE SELECTION
Select 200 numbers at random,
between 1 and 800
Urban and rural samples are
selected separately, as follows:
a. For urban areas, 80 numbers are
selected at random between 1
and 320
b. For rural areas, 120 numbers are
selected at random between 1
and 480
ALLOCATION OF SAMPLES TO THE DIFFERENT
STRATA BY PROPORTIONAL ALLOCATION

Suppose we want to allocate 250 samples to 3 sample barangays

included in the study. These 3 barangays have the following
populations:

  POPULATION SIZE
BARANGAY NUMBER %

A 3000 15.0
B 10500 52.5
C 6500 32.5
TOTAL 20000 100.0
 ALLOCATION OF SAMPLES TO THE DIFFERENT
STRATA BY PROPORTIONAL ALLOCATION

The 250 samples can be allocated to the 3 barangays to reflect the

population distribution as follows:

  POPULATION SAMPLE
BARANGAY SIZE SIZE
NUMBER % NUMBER %

A 3000 15.0 38 15.0

B 10500 52.5 131 52.5
C 6500 32.5 81 32.5
TOTAL 20000 100.0 250 100.0
 6.3 SYSTEMATIC SAMPLING
Characteristics
a.Every element has an equal chance of being selected.
b.It is often used under the following conditions:
the population elements are too many to list or to
number chronologically
a frame is not available
c. It is often used in combination with other designs
 6.3 SYSTEMATIC SAMPLING
Procedures:
1. Determine the required sample size, n.
2. Determine the sampling interval, k, where:
k = N/n
3. Select a number at random between 1 and k. The population
element in the frame corresponding to the random number
selected will be the first to be included in the sample
4. Include in the sample survey every kth population element
after the first random number selected
 EXAMPLE OF SYSTEMATIC SAMPLING
Using the same example presented earlier where N=800
and n=200
SAMPLING DESIGN SAMPLING FRAME METHOD OF SAMPLE SELECTION
Systematic sampling Not needed 1. Compute for the sampling interval, k where
k=N/n. Therefore k=800/200 = 4. This means
that for every 4 households in the population, 1
household will be selected as sample
2. Select a random number between 1 and 4.
Suppose #2 was selected. Therefore the second
household in the population to be studied is
  
included as sample.
3. Every 4th household thereafter will be included on
the study. These include households number 2, 6,
10, 14, 18, 22, 26, 30, 34, 38. etc.
 6.4 CLUSTER SAMPLING
Characteristics:
a. It is used when a frame for the individual
elementary units in the population is not
available. However, a frame for groups or clusters
of elements is available
b. The sampling unit is different from the
elementary unit.
 5.4 CLUSTER SAMPLING
Procedures:
1. Identify the groups or clusters of elementary units. It
is best if the sizes of the clusters are not too big and
do not vary much from each other.
2. Select a random sample of clusters.
3. All elements in the selected clusters will be included
in the survey.
 6.5 MULTI-STAGE SAMPLING
Characteristics:
a. It is generally used when the survey has a wide coverage and
a sampling frame for the elementary units is difficult to
obtain.
b. Sampling is done in successive stages.
c. Data collection is concentrated only on the samples selected
at each stage, resulting in lower cost per unit of inquiry.
d. Statistical analysis of the data is more complicated.
 6.5 MULTI-STAGE SAMPLING
Procedures for Sample Selection:
1. Determine the number of stages of selection to be used in the
sampling design and the sampling units to be used at each stage.
2. Determine the sample size necessary for each stage of selection.
3. Prepare the sampling frame for the 1st stage of selection, and select
at random a sample of primary sampling units (PSUs).
4. For each of the PSUs earlier selected, prepare the sampling frame for
the 2nd stage of selection. Randomly select the corresponding
number of secondary sampling units (SSUs) from each PSU included
in the sample.
5. Repeat the process of frame preparation and sample selection until
the last stage of sampling is reached.