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The Malawi Journals Project provides a unique perspective on a contemporary epidemic in Africa. Begun in 1999, when HIV incidence and prevalence peaked, it tracked contradictions between survey data and qualitative data. After the first round of the Malawi Longitudinal Study of Families and Health (MLSFH) (ICPSR 20840), in 1998, the researchers had a great deal of data about the composition and structure of local social networks in which rural Malawians talked about AIDS. They had not; however, learned much about the content of the social interactions--what people said to each other, rather than to interviewers, about AIDS or their strategies for avoiding infection and death--and even less about the wider everyday interactions that shaped responses to the epidemic.

In 1999 Susan Watkins instituted "The Malawi Journals Project" as a complement to a longitudinal survey that she was conducting in rural Malawi. At that time, Malawians were suffering and dying from a major AIDS epidemic. After the first round of the survey, she found evidence of social desirability bias. For example, when survey interviewers asked men under age 35 how many sexual partners they had, the typical response was that they had only one sexual partner, their wife. In the context of Malawi, as well as other African countries; however, a man with only one partner was so unusual that his survey response was not believable.

Watkins thus developed a new approach to data collection: learning what men and women said to each other rather than to an interviewer. After the first round of the survey the researchers had a great deal of data about the composition and structure of the social networks in which rural Malawians talked about AIDS. They had not; however, learned much about the content of the social interactions--what people said to each other, rather than to interviewers, about AIDS or their strategies for avoiding infection and death--and even less about the wider everyday interactions that shaped responses to the epidemic. Thus, the researchers improvised by commissioning 10 high school graduates, both men and women, who had worked for the survey to be participant observers as they went about their daily routines. They were to pay attention to what their peers said about the AIDS epidemic in their informal social networks, such as walking to a funeral or drinking at a bar, and to write the conversation word for word in a private space. If they overheard anything concerning AIDS, they were to make mental notes of what people said and did, and then write their recollections word-for-word in commonplace school notebooks that evening or soon thereafter. The notebooks were given to a local intermediary who mailed them to the researchers. In 2005, Watkins invited a colleague, Adam Ashforth, an ethnographer who had conducted research in Malawi, to join the Malawi Journals Project

More than 1,000 journals have been written since 1999, each approximately 12 single-spaced typed pages, and each usually covering several different conversations or incidents. Since there are frequently several people conversing, the reader can overhear, at second hand, several thousand people. Twenty-two journalists (9 females, 13 males) have contributed to the corpus of texts, with three (two males, one female) contributing very frequently, 13 frequently, and six only occasionally. The diarists wrote in English, a language learned in school, and used parentheses or carets to set off their explanatory comments or untranslatable expressions in the local language. The handwriting and repetitions suggest they often wrote rapidly. We have retained locutions that reflect local adaptations of English. English is taught in Malawian public schools starting in Standard 5, equivalent to U.S. fifth grade, and has become somewhat indigenized. For example, to be sexually promiscuous is to be "movious" and one who has multiple partners is said to be "moving around," an Anglicization of a Chichewa expression, woyendayenda, derived from the earlier association of multiple partners with migrant labor. The naturalness with which the journalists adapt English to Chichewa, chiYao, or chiTumbuka linguistic forms means that their English is somewhat closer to local languages than is the standard English in which a Canadian, British or American ethnographer might translate local languages. In our publications, we have retained most of the idiosyncrasies in grammar and spelling, although on occasion we insert obviously missing words in brackets and make minor corrections.

Initially, Malawians were convinced that all would die of AIDS, and were skeptical about the attempts of the government and international organizations to reduce new HIV infections. Over the subsequent years, this began to change as conversational partners advised each other to be careful to select their sexual partners with care. By 2017, men and women speaking about AIDS in their social networks acknowledged that times had changed, and the number of new HIV infections had steeply declined.

The Malawi Longitudinal Study of Families and Health (MLSFH) is one of very few long-standing longitudinal cohort studies in a poor Sub-Saharan African (SSA) context. It provides a record of more than 25 years of demographic, socioeconomic, and health conditions in one of the world's poorest countries. Initial data collection began in 1998 under the Malawi Diffusion and Ideational Change Project (MDICP) to examine social networks and fertility decisions among married women and their husbands. While this initial study population is still followed, the scope of the project and population expanded to a broader focus on social and contextual determinants of health across the lifecourse in Malawi.

This collection includes Rounds 1 through 9 of the MLSFH, as well as supplemental data collections from Sexual Diaries, Migration Follow-Ups (MHM), a Biomarker Survey, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE), and a Benefits of Knowledge Intervention Survey. The MLSFH Data web page contains additional information and cohort profiles for all MLSFH data collections, including those not made available through ICPSR-DSDR.

The TAZAMA Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) study site is located in the Kisesa and Bukandwe rural electoral wards in the Magu district of the Mwanza Region in Northern Tanzania. The two wards are comprised of six villages. There is one health center and five dispensaries (3 public and 2 private) in the study area. The two wards have eleven government primary schools (at least one in each village) and two secondary schools. Both Mwanza city and Magu town are accessible to residents; buses run along the main road and take about an hour and a half to get to Mwanza. Most of the residents are subsistence farmers; a lot of surplus agricultural produce is traded in Mwanza, which is Tanzania's second city. In the year 2012, the research study covered a population of about 30,000 people who live in the Kisesa and Bukandwe wards. The majority of the residents (about ninety five per cent) belong to the Sukuma ethnic group.

The DSS collects information on births and deaths and movements in and out of the households. It helps researchers to understand the population dynamics in the study area including fertility, mortality and migration patterns. It provides information on the structure of families that live together. The DSS study is also used to identify people who are eligible to participate in the serological surveys (the right age group, and continuously resident rather than just visiting). It provides the data for calculating the denominators for demographic rates.

The objectives of this study are as follows: (1) to improve understanding of the dynamics of the HIV epidemic; (2) to assess the demographic, social and economic impacts of the HIV/AIDS epidemic; (3) to evaluate the effects of national prevention, treatment and care interventions as implemented in Kisesa Ward; (4) to measure child and adult mortality and fertility in the general population and by HIV status; (5) to asses the leading causes of death through verbal autopsy; (6) to assess changes in the family structure due to HIV epidemic; and (7) to provide reliable data for district health planning.

Tsogolo la Thanzi (TLT) is 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. New data is being collected to develop better understandings of the reproductive goals and behavior of young adults in Malawi -- the first cohort to never have experienced life without AIDS. To understand these patterns of family formation in a rapidly changing setting, TLT used a unique approach: an intensive longitudinal design where respondents are interviewed every fourth month at TLT's centralized research center. Data collection began in May of 2009 and was completed in December 2011 (waves 1-8), with an additional Refresher Sample (wave 9) fielded in early 2012 as a form of addressing study attrition and creating the ability to compare the "treatment" effect of survey participation on respondents who participated in waves 1-8.

This study contains data collected from a follow-up survey referred to as Tsogolo la Thanzi 2 (TLT-2), which was fielded between June and August of 2015 and created to assess changes on a longer time-horizon.

TLT-2 covers many of the same topics found in the original TLT multi-wave project such as: relationships, religion, HIV/AIDS, politics, family composition, mental health, sex and protection, pregnancy, marriage, sexually transmitted diseases, future expectations, school enrollment status, goods purchased/received, and diet.

Modules specific to TLT-2 include: conditionalities, technology, and time use.

Tsogolo la Thanzi (TLT) is 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. Data are being collected to develop better understandings of the reproductive goals and behavior of young adults in Malawi -- the first cohort to never have experienced life without AIDS. To understand these patterns of family formation in a rapidly changing setting, TLT used the following approach: an intensive longitudinal design where respondents were interviewed every four months at TLT's centralized research center. Data collection began in May of 2009 and was completed in June of 2012. To assess changes on a longer time-horizon, a follow-up survey referred to as Tsogolo la Thanzi 2 (TLT-2) was fielded between June and August of 2015.

This dataset contains reports on children from all women and men in the sample who reported having children (n=2,580 respondents, 6,082 births). Data were constructed from the original TLT-1 (waves 1-8), the refresher wave (wave 9), and TLT-2 (wave 10).

Tsogolo la Thanzi (TLT) is 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. New data are being collected to develop better understandings of the reproductive goals and behavior of young adults in Malawi -- the first cohort to never have experienced life without AIDS. To understand these patterns of family formation in a rapidly changing setting, TLT used the following approach: an intensive longitudinal design where respondents are interviewed every fourth months at TLT's centralized research center. Data collection began in May of 2009 and was completed in June of 2012. To assess changes on a longer time-horizon, a follow-up survey referred to as Tsogolo la Thanzi 2 (TLT-2) was fielded between June and August of 2015.

The Couples Data include supplementary data intended to link partners across the full TLT-1 and TLT-2 time period for the purpose of conducting couple-level analyses.

The Tsogolo La Thanzi (TLT): Baseline Wave collection contains data collected as part of the Tsogolo la Thanzi (TLT) Study. TLT is 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. New data is being collected to develop better understandings of the reproductive goals and behavior of young adults in Malawi -- the first cohort to never have experienced life without AIDS. To understand these patterns of family formation in a rapidly changing setting, TLT used the following approach: an intensive longitudinal design where respondents are interviewed every fourth months at TLT's centralized research center. Data collection began in May of 2009 and was completed in June of 2012. To assess changes on a longer time-horizon, a follow-up survey we refer to as Tsogolo la Thanzi 2 (TLT-2) was fielded between July and October of 2015.

The Women dataset (dataset 1) contains variables that pertain to pregnancy, family composition, partners and relationships, mental health, marriage, sex and protection, sexually transmitted diseases, goods purchases, and diet.

The Male Partners dataset (dataset 2) contains variables that pertain to relationships, religion, politics, family composition, mental health, sex and protection, pregnancy, marriage, sexually transmitted diseases, goods purchases, and diet.

The Random Men dataset (dataset 3) asked respondents about their mental health, partners and relationships, sexually transmitted diseases, sex and protection, family composition, goods purchases, and diet.

The Male Partners at Alternative Waves dataset (dataset 4) includes baseline data collected for male partners who began participating in the study between Wave 2 and Wave 8. If male partners entered the study at Wave 2 or later, their first interview was the baseline questionnaire (Wave 1), and at the next round of data collection they received the current wave's questionnaire. This dataset includes variables that pertain to relationships, religion, mental and physical health, family composition, sex and protection, fatherhood, marriage, sexually transmitted diseases, good purchases and diet.

Demographic variables in each dataset include age, tribe, language, and education.

The Tsogolo La Thanzi (TLT): Biomarker collection contains data collected as part of the Tsogolo la Thanzi (TLT) Study. TLT is 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. New data is being collected to develop better understandings of the reproductive goals and behavior of young adults in Malawi -- the first cohort to never have experienced life without AIDS. To understand these patterns of family formation in a rapidly changing setting, TLT used the following approach: an intensive longitudinal design where respondents are interviewed every fourth months at TLT's centralized research center. Data collection began in May of 2009 and was completed in June of 2012. To assess changes on a longer time-horizon, a follow-up survey referred to as Tsologo la Thanzi 2 (TLT-2) was fielded between June and August of 2016.

The biomarker data collection contains the results of HIV testing and pregnancy testing. These data sets include respondents from all waves.

Tsogolo la Thanzi (TLT) is 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. New data is being collected to develop better understandings of the reproductive goals and behavior of young adults in Malawi -- the first cohort to never have experienced life without AIDS. To understand these patterns of family formation in a rapidly changing setting, TLT used the following approach: an intensive longitudinal design where respondents are interviewed every four months at TLT's centralized research center. Data collection began in May of 2009 and was completed in June of 2012. To assess changes on a longer time-horizon, a follow-up survey referred to as Tsogolo la Thanzi 2 (TLT-2) was fielded between June and August of 2016.

This study contains data collected from the eighth wave of the multi-wave study.

Each of waves 1-8 is comprised of three data files. The Women dataset (dataset 1) is a random sample of women aged 15-25 in 2009 (N=1,505 at wave 1) drawn from a census of the area. Likewise, the Random Men dataset (dataset 3) is a random sample of men aged 15-25 in 2009 (N=574 at wave 1) drawn from a census of the area. The Male Partners dataset (dataset 2) contains survey data from sexual and romantic partners who were referred into the study by respondents in the women's file; this is a non-random sample of male partners, so analysts should be especially cautious with inferences.

Topics covered across all waves include relationships, religion, HIV/AIDS, politics, family composition, mental health, sex and protection, pregnancy, marriage, sexually transmitted diseases, future expectations, school enrollment status, goods purchased/received, and diet.

Modules specific to wave 8 include: health services, travel, treatment optimism, and parent information.

Additional demographic variables in each dataset include age and education.

Tsogolo la Thanzi (TLT) is 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. New data is being collected to develop better understandings of the reproductive goals and behavior of young adults in Malawi -- the first cohort to never have experienced life without AIDS. To understand these patterns of family formation in a rapidly changing setting, TLT used the following approach: an intensive longitudinal design where respondents are interviewed every four months at TLT's centralized research center. Data collection began in May of 2009 and was completed in June of 2012. To assess changes on a longer time-horizon, a follow-up survey referred to as Tsogolo la Thanzi 2 (TLT-2) was fielded between June and August of 2016.

This study contains data collected from the fifth wave of the multi-wave study.

Each wave is comprised of three data files. The Women dataset (dataset 1) is a random sample of women aged 15-25 in 2009 (N=1,505 at wave 1) drawn from a census of the area. Likewise, the Random Men dataset (dataset 3) is a random sample of men aged 15-25 in 2009 (N=574 at wave 1) drawn from a census of the area. The Male Partners dataset (dataset 2) contains survey data from sexual and romantic partners who were referred into the study by respondents in the women's file; this is a non-random sample of male partners, so analysts should be especially cautious with inferences.

Topics covered across all waves include relationships, religion, HIV/AIDS, politics, family composition, mental health, sex and protection, pregnancy, marriage, sexually transmitted diseases, future expectations, school enrollment status, goods purchased/received, and diet.

Modules specific to wave 5 include: best friend characteristics, health services, relationship power, relationship scripts, treatment optimism and travel.

Additional demographic variables in each dataset include age and education.

Tsogolo la Thanzi (TLT) is 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. New data is being collected to develop better understandings of the reproductive goals and behavior of young adults in Malawi -- the first cohort to never have experienced life without AIDS. To understand these patterns of family formation in a rapidly changing setting, TLT used the following approach: an intensive longitudinal design where respondents are interviewed every four months at TLT's centralized research center. Data collection began in May of 2009 and was completed in June of 2012. To assess changes on a longer time-horizon, a follow-up survey referred to as Tsogolo la Thanzi 2 (TLT-2) was fielded between June and August of 2016.

This study contains data collected from the fourth wave of the multi-wave study.

Each wave is comprised of three data files. The Women dataset (dataset 1) is a random sample of women aged 15-25 in 2009 (N=1,505 at wave 1), drawn from a census of the area. Likewise, the Random Men dataset (dataset 3) is a random-sample of men aged 15-25 in 2009 (N=574 at wave 1) drawn from a census of the area. The Male Partners dataset (dataset 2) contains survey data from sexual and romantic partners who were referred into the study by respondents in the women's file; this is a non-random sample of male partners, so analysts should be especially cautious with inferences.

Topics covered across all waves include relationships, religion, HIV/AIDS, politics, family composition, mental health, sex and protection, pregnancy, marriage, sexually transmitted diseases, future expectations, school enrollment status, goods purchased/received, and diet.

Additional demographic variables in each dataset include age and education.

Tsogolo la Thanzi (TLT) is 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. Data are being collected to develop better understandings of the reproductive goals and behavior of young adults in Malawi - the first cohort to never have experienced life without AIDS. To understand these patterns of family formation in a rapidly changing setting, TLT used the following approach: an intensive longitudinal design where respondents are interviewed every four months at TLT's centralized research center. Data collection began in May of 2009 and was completed in June of 2012. To assess changes on a longer time-horizon, a follow-up survey referred to as TLT-2 was fielded between June and August of 2015.

The Household Listing Dataset are supplementary data related to the Tsogolo la Thanzi [Healthy Futures] longitudinal data series. The Household Listing includes data from the complete household census used to generate the sample for the TLT study. It includes data from all persons living within seven kilometers of the TLT research center.

The Tsogolo La Thanzi (TLT): Migration Autopsy collection contains data collected as part of the Tsogolo la Thanzi (TLT) Study. TLT is 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. New data is being collected to develop better understandings of the reproductive goals and behavior of young adults in Malawi -- the first cohort to never have experienced life without AIDS. To understand these patterns of family formation in a rapidly changing setting, TLT used the following approach: an intensive longitudinal design where respondents are interviewed every fourth months at TLT's centralized research center.

The Migration Autopsy collection contains many TLT respondents whom moved away during the study period. In order to both carefully track attrition and gather valuable information about migration, TLT performed a migration autopsy on study participants who migrated from the study area during the course of the 8-wave observation period. Data collection began in April of 2009 and was completed in December of 2012. To assess changes on a longer time-horizon, a follow-up survey we refer to as Tsogolo la Thanzi 2 (TLT-2) was fielded between June and August of 2016.

Tsogolo la Thanzi (TLT) is a longitudinal study in Balaka, Malawi designed by Jenny Trinitapoli and Sara Yeatman 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. The TLT research team has collected data to better understand the reproductive goals and behavior of young adults in Malawi. This is the first cohort to never have experienced life without AIDS. To understand these patterns of family formation in a rapidly changing setting, TLT used the following approach: an intensive longitudinal design where respondents are interviewed every fourth month at TLT's centralized research center. Data collection began in May of 2009 and was completed in December 2011 (waves 1-8).

In addition, a Refresher Sample (wave 9) was fielded in early 2012 as a form of addressing study attrition but also to create the ability to compare the "treatment" effect of survey participation on respondents who participated in waves 1-8.

The Refresher Sample includes 315 women who were sampled but not enrolled at wave 1 (baseline), and thus only entered the study in 2012. Furthermore, to assess changes on a longer time-horizon, a follow-up survey referred to as TLT-2 was fielded between June and August of 2016 which includes all baseline and comparison sample women, plus all men ever-interviewed for the study.

Each of waves 1-8 are comprised of three data files: women, random men, and male partners. However, wave 9 includes only a sample of women who did not enroll in baseline (N=315).

Topics covered across all waves include relationships, religion, HIV/AIDS, politics, family composition, mental health, sex and protection, pregnancy, marriage, sexually transmitted diseases, future expectations, school enrollment status, goods purchased/received, and diet. Of the occasional modules, those included at wave 9 [Refresher Sample] are: background, residency and migration, travel and parent information. Otherwise, the comparison sample is more similar to the baseline wave, relative to other rounds of data collection.

Tsogolo la Thanzi (TLT) is 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. Data are being collected to develop better understandings of the reproductive goals and behavior of young adults in Malawi -- the first cohort to never have experienced life without AIDS. To understand these patterns of family formation in a rapidly changing setting, TLT used the following approach: an intensive longitudinal design where respondents were interviewed every four months at TLT's centralized research center. Data collection began in May of 2009 and was completed in June of 2012. To assess changes on a longer time-horizon, a follow-up survey referred to as Tsogolo la Thanzi 2 (TLT-2) was fielded between June and August of 2015.

This dataset is a supplementary survey module that was administered to women TLT participants during waves 2 to 8 who reported having a new birth since their last interview, and to those in the refresher sample (wave 9) who reported a recent birth in the past 4 months. The survey focused on several aspects of the childbirth experience and the mother's and child's postpartum health.

Tsogolo la Thanzi (TLT) is 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. New data is being collected to develop better understandings of the reproductive goals and behavior of young adults in Malawi -- the first cohort to never have experienced life without AIDS. To understand these patterns of family formation in a rapidly changing setting, TLT used the following approach: an intensive longitudinal design where respondents are interviewed every fourth months at TLT's centralized research center. Data collection began in May of 2009 and was completed in June of 2012. To assess changes on a longer time-horizon, a follow-up survey referred to as Tsogolo la Thanzi 2 (TLT-2) was fielded between June and August of 2016. Please see ICPSR 36863 for the baseline dataset.

At each wave, women who tested as positive for pregnancy were given a questionnaire asking additional questions about that pregnancy. This dataset includes women from all waves.

Tsogolo la Thanzi (TLT) is 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 data was collected to develop better understandings of the reproductive goals and behavior of young adults in Malawi -- the first cohort to never have experienced life without AIDS. To understand these patterns of family formation in a rapidly changing setting, TLT used the following approach: an intensive longitudinal design where respondents are interviewed every four months at TLT's centralized research center. Data collection began in May of 2009 and was completed in June of 2012. To assess changes on a longer time horizon, a follow-up survey we refer to as Tsogolo la Thanzi 2 (TLT-2) was fielded between June and August of 2016.

This study contains data collected from the second wave of the multi-wave study.

Each wave is comprised of three data files. The Women dataset (dataset 1) is a random sample of women aged 15-25 in 2009 (N=1,505 at wave 1), drawn from a census of the area. Likewise, the Random Men dataset (dataset 3) is a random-sample of men aged 15-25 in 2009 (N=574 at wave 1) drawn from a census of the area. The Male Partners dataset (dataset 2) contains survey data from sexual and romantic partners who were referred into the study by respondents in the women's file; this is a non-random sample of male partners, so analysts should be especially cautious with inferences.

Topics covered across all waves include relationships, religion, HIV/AIDS, politics, family composition, mental health, sex and protection, pregnancy, marriage, sexually transmitted diseases, future expectations, school enrollment status, goods purchased/received, and diet.

Modules specific to wave 2 include: two-year future expectations. Additionally, the child roster, household roster, and travel for interview sections begin at wave 2.

Additional demographic variables in each dataset include age and education.

Tsogolo la Thanzi (TLT) is a longitudinal study in Balaka, Malawi designed to examine how young people navigate reproduction in an AIDS epidemic. Tsogolo la Thanzi (TLT) means "Healthy Futures" in Chichewa, Malawi's most widely spoken language. The TLT research team is collecting new data to develop better understandings of the reproductive goals and behavior of young adults in Malawi -- the first cohort to never have experienced life without AIDS. To understand these patterns of family formation in a rapidly changing setting, TLT used a unique approach: an intensive longitudinal design where respondents are interviewed every fourth months at TLT's centralized research center. Data collection began in May of 2009 and was completed in June of 2012. To assess changes on a longer time-horizon, a follow-up survey we refer to as TLT-2 was fielded between June and August of 2016.

This study contains data collected from the seventh wave of the multi-wave study.

Each of waves 1-8 are comprised of three data files. The Women dataset (dataset 1) is a random sample of women aged 15-25 in 2009 (N=1,505 at wave 1), drawn from a census of the area. Likewise, the Random Men dataset (dataset 3) is a random-sample of men aged 15-25 in 2009 (N=574 at wave 1) drawn from a census of the area. The Male Partners dataset (dataset 2) contains survey data from sexual and romantic partners who were referred into the study by respondents in the women's file; this is a non-random sample of male partners, so analysts should be especially cautious with inferences.

Topics covered across all waves include relationships, religion, HIV/AIDS, politics, family composition, mental health, sex and protection, pregnancy, marriage, sexually transmitted diseases, future expectations, school enrollment status, goods purchased/received, and diet.

Modules specific to wave 7 include: best friend characteristics, literacy, treatment optimism, travel, and health services with an expanded education section (interrupted education).

Additional demographic variables in each dataset include age and education.

Tsogolo la Thanzi (TLT) is 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. New data is being collected to develop better understandings of the reproductive goals and behavior of young adults in Malawi -- the first cohort to never have experienced life without AIDS. To understand these patterns of family formation in a rapidly changing setting, TLT used the following approach: an intensive longitudinal design where respondents are interviewed every four months at TLT's centralized research center. Data collection began in May of 2009 and was completed in June of 2012. To assess changes on a longer time-horizon, a follow-up survey referred to as Tsogolo la Thanzi 2 (TLT-2) was fielded between June and August of 2016.

This study contains data collected from the sixth wave of the multi-wave study.

Each wave is comprised of three data files. The Women dataset (dataset 1) is a random sample of women aged 15-25 in 2009 (N=1,505 at wave 1) drawn from a census of the area. Likewise, the Random Men dataset (dataset 3) is a random sample of men aged 15-25 in 2009 (N=574 at wave 1) drawn from a census of the area. The Male Partners dataset (dataset 2) contains survey data from sexual and romantic partners who were referred into the study by respondents in the women's file; this is a non-random sample of male partners, so analysts should be especially cautious with inferences.

Topics covered across all waves include relationships, religion, HIV/AIDS, politics, family composition, mental health, sex and protection, pregnancy, marriage, sexually transmitted diseases, future expectations, school enrollment status, goods purchased/received, and diet.

Modules specific to wave 6 include: best friend characteristics, treatment optimism, travel, and health services.

Additional demographic variables in each dataset include age and education.

Tsogolo la Thanzi (TLT) is 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. New data is being collected to develop better understandings of the reproductive goals and behavior of young adults in Malawi -- the first cohort to never have experienced life without AIDS. To understand these patterns of family formation in a rapidly changing setting, TLT used the following approach: an intensive longitudinal design where respondents are interviewed every four months at TLT's centralized research center. Data collection began in May of 2009 and was completed in June of 2012. To assess changes on a longer time-horizon, a follow-up survey referred to as Tsogolo la Thanzi 2 (TLT-2) was fielded between June and August of 2016.

This study contains data collected from the third wave of the multi-wave study.

Each wave is comprised of three data files. The Women dataset (dataset 1) is a random sample of women aged 15-25 in 2009 (N=1,505 at wave 1), drawn from a census of the area. Likewise, the Random Men dataset (dataset 3) is a random-sample of men aged 15-25 in 2009 (N=574 at wave 1) drawn from a census of the area. The Male Partners dataset (dataset 2) contains survey data from sexual and romantic partners who were referred into the study by respondents in the women's file; this is a non-random sample of male partners, so analysts should be especially cautious with inferences.

Topics covered across all waves include relationships, religion, HIV/AIDS, politics, family composition, mental health, sex and protection, pregnancy, marriage, sexually transmitted diseases, future expectations, school enrollment status, goods purchased/received, and diet.

Modules specific to wave 3 include: relationship power.

Additional demographic variables in each dataset include age and education.

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.