Tsogolo la Thanzi (TLT): Verbal Autopsy Data, Malawi, 2009-2019 [Healthy Futures] Archival Version

Tsogolo la Thanzi (TLT) was a longitudinal study in Balaka, Malawi designed to examine how young people navigate reproduction in an AIDS epidemic. Tsogolo la Thanzi means "Healthy Futures" in Chichewa, Malawi's most widely spoken language. This particular study contains the Verbal Autopsy data providing information on 36 respondents who died over the study period (2009-2019). These 36 individuals were known to be deceased through recruitment efforts to re-interview the person during a subsequent wave of data collection. However, not all groups of respondents were re-interviewed in 2012, 2015, and 2019. Therefore, the total number of deaths from the original sample is potentially more than what is reported in this particular study. The 36 verbal autopsy cases in this study represent known deaths, and should not be interpreted as an inventory of all deaths that occurred. The purpose of this study was to understand the circumstances surrounding the deaths of respondents in the Tsogolo la Thanzi (TLT) study during the study time period from 2009 to 2019. Deaths were discovered during recruitment efforts to re-interview respondents. These interviews were primarily conducted in the Chichewa language. A family member who knew the deceased well was asked to complete the autopsy interview. Half of the respondents were the mother of the deceased. Other family relationships included spouse, sister, aunt, and grandmother. There was an equal split of respondents who lived in the same household as the deceased. The other half of respondents lived in a different household, but the same compound. Primary sections of the data file include questions on: Respondent information (gender, age, education, relationship to deceased) Details surrounding death (date, location, cause, hospital visits) Details about symptoms leading up to death (signs of illness, medically diagnosed conditions, and details on various symptoms (duration and severity)) Symptoms and signs associated with illness of women, and details on pregnancy just prior to death Testing, results, and treatment for HIV/AIDS Datasets: DS1: Tsogolo la Thanzi (TLT): Verbal Autopsy Data, Malawi, 2009-2019 [Healthy Futures] TLT respondents who died between 2009 to 2019. For further information about the Tsogolo La Thanzi [Healthy Futures] Study, please visit the Tsogolo La Thanzi website.Please refer to the included Documentation Guide for additional details about the questionnaire used, and notes from the Principal Investigators about data cleaning they conducted on specific cases.The variable RESPID should be used when linking this data set to other studies in this data series.