Number and percentage of live births, by month of birth, 1991 to most recent year.

The 2008 Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey (SLDHS) is the first DHS survey to be held in Sierra Leone. Teams visited 353 sample points across Sierra Leone and collected data from a nationally representative sample of 7,374 women age 15-49 and 3,280 men age 15-59. The primary purpose of the 2008 SLDHS is to provide policy-makers and planners with detailed information on Demography and health. This is the first Demographic and Health Survey conducted in Sierra Leone and was carried out by Statistics Sierra Leone (SSL) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation. The 2008 SLDHS was funded by the Sierra Leone government, UNFPA, UNDP, UNICEF, DFID, USAID, and The World Bank. WHO, WFP and UNHCR provided logistical support. ICF Macro, an ICF International Company, provided technical support for the survey through the MEASURE DHS project. MEASURE DHS is sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to assist countries worldwide in obtaining information on key population and health indicators. The purpose of the SLDHS is to collect national- and regional-level data on fertility and contraceptive use, marriage and sexual activity, fertility preferences, breastfeeding practices, nutritional status of women and young children, childhood and adult mortality, maternal and child health, female genital cutting, awareness and behaviour regarding HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections, adult health, and other issues. The survey obtained detailed information on these topics from women of reproductive age and, for certain topics, from men as well. The 2008 SLDHS was carried out from late April 2008 to late June 2008, using a nationally representative sample of 7,758 households. The survey results are intended to assist policymakers and planners in assessing the current health and population programmes and in designing new strategies for improving reproductive health and health services in Sierra Leone. MAIN RESULTS FERTILITY Survey results indicate that there has been little or no decline in the total fertility rate over the past two decades, from 5.7 children per woman in 1980-85 to 5.1 children per woman for the three years preceding the 2008 SLDHS (approximately 2004-07). Fertility is lower in urban areas than in rural areas (3.8 and 5.8 children per woman, respectively). Regional variations in fertility are marked, ranging from 3.4 births per woman in the Western Region (where the capital, Freetown, is located) to almost six births per woman in the Northern and Eastern regions. Women with no education give birth to almost twice as many children as women who have been to secondary school (5.8 births, compared with 3.1 births). Fertility is also closely associated with household wealth, ranging from 3.2 births among women in the highest wealth quintile to 6.3 births among women in the lowest wealth quintile, a difference of more than three births. Research has demonstrated that children born too close to a previous birth are at increased risk of dying. In Sierra Leone, only 18 percent of births occur within 24 months of a previous birth. The interval between births is relatively long; the median interval is 36 months. FAMILY PLANNING The vast majority of Sierra Leonean women and men know of at least one method of contraception. Contraceptive pills and injectables are known to about 60 percent of currently married women and 49 percent of married men. Male condoms are known to 58 percent of married women and 80 percent of men. A higher proportion of respondents reported knowing a modern method of family planning than a traditional method. About one in five (21 percent) currently married women has used a contraceptive method at some time-19 percent have used a modern method and 6 percent have used a traditional method. However, only about one in twelve currently married women (8 percent) is currently using a contraceptive method. Modern methods account for almost all contraceptive use, with 7 percent of married women reporting use of a modern method, compared with only 1 percent using a traditional method. Injectables and the pill are the most widely used methods (3 and 2 percent of married women, respectively), followed by LAM and male condoms (less than 1 percent each). CHILD HEALTH Examination of levels of infant and child mortality is essential for assessing population and health policies and programmes. Infant and child mortality rates are also used as indices reflecting levels of poverty and deprivation in a population. The 2008 survey data show that over the past 15 years, infant and under-five mortality have decreased by 26 percent. Still, one in seven Sierra Leonean children dies before reaching age five. For the most recent five-year period before the survey (approximately calendar years 2003 to 2008), the infant mortality rate was 89 deaths per 1,000 live births and the under-five mortality rate was 140 deaths per 1,000 live births. The neonatal mortality rate was 36 deaths per 1,000 live births and the post-neonatal mortality rate was 53 deaths per 1,000 live births. The child mortality rate was 56 deaths per 1,000 children surviving to age one year. Mortality rates at all ages of childhood show a strong relationship with the length of the preceding birth interval. Under-five mortality is three times higher among children born less than two years after a preceding sibling (252 deaths per 1,000 births) than among children born four or more years after a previous child (deaths 81 per 1,000 births). MATERNAL HEALTH Almost nine in ten mothers (87 percent) in Sierra Leone receive antenatal care from a health professional (doctor, nurse, midwife, or MCH aid). Only 5 percent of mothers receive antenatal care from a traditional midwife or a community health worker; 7 percent of mothers do not receive any antenatal care. In Sierra Leone, over half of mothers have four or more antenatal care (ANC) visits, about 20 percent have one to three ANC visits, and only 7 percent have no antenatal care at all. The survey shows that not all women in Sierra Leone receive antenatal care services early in pregnancy. Only 30 percent of mothers obtain antenatal care in the first three months of pregnancy, 41 percent make their first visit in the fourth or fifth month, and 17 percent in have their first visit in the sixth or seventh month. Only 1 percent of women have their first ANC visit in their eighth month of pregnancy or later. BREASTFEEDING AND NUTRITION Poor nutritional status is one of the most important health and welfare problems facing Sierra Leone today and particularly afflicts women and children. The data show that 36 percent of children under five are stunted (too short for their age) and 10 percent of children under five are wasted (too thin for their height). Overall, 21 percent of children are underweight, which may reflect stunting, wasting, or both. For women, at the national level 11 percent of women are considered to be thin (body mass index

Abstract

The Ouagadougou Health and Demographic Surveillance System (Ouagadougou HDSS), located in five neighborhoods at the northern periphery of the capital of Burkina Faso, was established in 2008. Data on vital events (births, deaths, unions, migration events) are collected during household visits that have taken place every 10 months.

The areas were selected to contrast informal neighborhoods (40,000 residents) with formal areas (40,000 residents), with the aims of understanding the problems of the urban poor, and testing innovative programs that promote the well-being of this population. People living in informal areas tend to be marginalized in several ways: they are younger, poorer, less educated, farther from public services and more often migrants. Half of the residents live in the Sanitary District of Kossodo and the other half in the District of Sig-Nonghin.

The Ouaga HDSS has been used to study health inequalities, conduct a surveillance of typhoid fever, measure water quality in informal areas, study the link between fertility and school investments, test a non-governmental organization (NGO)-led program of poverty alleviation and test a community-led targeting of the poor eligible for benefits in the urban context. Key informants help maintain a good rapport with the community.

The areas researchers follow consist of 55 census tracks divided into 494 blocks. Researchers mapped all the census tracks and blocks using fieldworkers with handheld global positioning system (GPS) receivers and ArcGIS. During a first census (October 2008 to March 2009), the demographic surveillance system was explained to every head of household and a consent form was signed; during subsequent censuses, new households were enrolled in the same way.

Geographic coverage

Ouagadougou is the capital city of Burkina Faso and lies at the centre of this country, located in the middle of West Africa (128 North of the Equator and 18 West of the Prime Meridian).

Analysis unit

Individual

Universe

Resident household members of households resident within the demographic surveillance area. Inmigrants (visitors) are defined by intention to become resident, but actual residence episodes of less than six months (180 days) are censored. Outmigrants are defined by intention to become resident elsewhere, but actual periods of non-residence less than six months (180 days) are censored. Children born to resident women are considered resident by default, irrespective of actual place of birth. The dataset contains the events of all individuals ever residents during the study period (03 Oct. 2009 to 31 Dec. 2014).

Kind of data

Event history data

Frequency of data collection

This dataset contains rounds 0 to 7 of demographic surveillance data covering the period from 07 Oct. 2008 to 31 December 2014.

Sampling procedure

This dataset is not based on a sample, it contains information from the complete demographic surveillance area of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso.

Reponse units (households) by Round: Round Households
2008 4941
2009 19159 2010 21168
2011 12548 2012 24174 2013 22326

Sampling deviation

None

Mode of data collection

Proxy Respondent [proxy]

Research instrument

List of questionnaires:

Collective Housing Unit (UCH) Survey Form - Used to register characteristics of the house - Use to register Sanitation installations - All registered house as at previous round are uploaded behind the PDA or tablet.

Household registration (HHR) or update (HHU) Form - Used to register characteristics of the HH - Used to update information about the composition of the household - All registered households as at previous rounds are uploaded behind the PDA or tablet.

Household Membership Registration (HMR) or update (HMU) - Used to link individuals to households. - Used to update information about the household memberships and member status observations - All member status observations as at previous rounds are uploaded behind the PDA or tablet.

Presences registration form (PDR) - Used to uniquely identify the presence of each individual in the household and to identify the new individual in the household - Mainly to ensure members with multiple household memberships are appropriately captured - All presences observations as at previous rounds are uploaded behind the PDA or tablet.

Visitor registration form (VDR) - Used register the characteristics of the new individual in the household - Used to capt the internal migration - Use matching form to facilitate pairing migration

Out Migration notification form (MGN) - Used to record change in the status of residency of individuals or households - Migrants are tracked and updated in the database

Pregnancy history form (PGH) & pregnancy outcome notification form (PON) - Records details of pregnancies and their outcomes - Only if woman is a new member - Only if woman has never completed WHL or WGH - All member pregnancy without pregnancy outcome as at previous rounds are uploaded behind the PDA or tablet.

Death notification form (DTN) - Records all deaths that have recently occurred - Includes information about time, place, circumstances and possible cause of death

Updated Basic information Form (UBIF) - Use to change the individual basic information

Health questionnaire (adults, women, child, elder) - Family planning - Chronic illnesses - Violence and accident - Mental health - Nutrition, alcohol, tobacco - Access to health services - Anthropometric measures - Physical limitations - Self-rated health - Food security

Variability of climate and water accessibility - accessibility to water - child health outcomes - gender outcomes - data on rainfall, temperatures, water quality

Cleaning operations

The data collection system is composed by two databases: - A temporary database, which contains data collected and transferred each day during the round. - A reference database, which contains all data of Ouagadougou Health and Demographic Surveillance System, in which is transferred the data of the temporary database to the end of each round. The temporary database is emptied at the end of the round for a new round.

The data processing takes place in two ways:

1) When collecting data with PDAs or tablets and theirs transfers by Wi-Fi, data consistency and plausibility are controlled by verification rules in the mobile application and in the database. In addition to these verifications, the data from the temporary database undergo validation. This validation is performed each week and produces a validation report for the data collection team. After the validation, if the error is due to an error in the data collection, the field worker equipped with his PDA or tablet go back to the field to revisit and correct this error. At the end of this correction, the field worker makes again the transfer of data through the wireless access points on the server. If the error is due to data inconsistencies that might not be directly related to an error in data collection, the case is remanded to the scientific team of the main database that could resolve the inconsistency directly in the database or could with supervisors perform a thorough investigation in order to correct the error.

2) At the end of the round, the data from the temporary database are automatically transferred into the reference database by a transfer program. After the success of this transfer, further validation is performed on the data in the database to ensure data consistency and plausibility. This still produces a validation report for the data collection team. And the same process of error correction is taken.

Response rate

Household response rates are as follows (assuming that if a household has not responded for 2 years following the last recorded visit to that household, that the household is lost to follow-up and no longer part of the response rate denominator):

Year Response Rate
2008 100%
2009 100%
2010 100%
2011 98% 2012 100% 2013 95%

Sampling error estimates

Not applicable

Data appraisal

CentreId MetricTable QMetric Illegal Legal Total Metric RunDate BF041 MicroDataCleaned Starts 151624 2017-05-16 13:36
BF041 MicroDataCleaned Transitions 0 314778 314778 0 2017-05-16 13:36
BF041 MicroDataCleaned Ends 151624 2017-05-16 13:36
BF041 MicroDataCleaned SexValues 314778 2017-05-16 13:36
BF041 MicroDataCleaned DoBValues 314778 2017-05-16 13:36

Nigeria NG: Completeness of Birth Registration data was reported at 29.800 % in 2013. This records a decrease from the previous number of 41.500 % for 2011. Nigeria NG: Completeness of Birth Registration data is updated yearly, averaging 30.000 % from Dec 2008 (Median) to 2013, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 41.500 % in 2011 and a record low of 29.800 % in 2013. Nigeria NG: Completeness of Birth Registration data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Nigeria – Table NG.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Completeness of birth registration is the percentage of children under age 5 whose births were registered at the time of the survey. The numerator of completeness of birth registration includes children whose birth certificate was seen by the interviewer or whose mother or caretaker says the birth has been registered.; ; UNICEF's State of the World's Children based mostly on household surveys and ministry of health data.; Weighted average;

Mozambique MZ: Completeness of Birth Registration data was reported at 47.900 % in 2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 31.000 % for 2008. Mozambique MZ: Completeness of Birth Registration data is updated yearly, averaging 39.450 % from Dec 2008 (Median) to 2011, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 47.900 % in 2011 and a record low of 31.000 % in 2008. Mozambique MZ: Completeness of Birth Registration data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Mozambique – Table MZ.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Completeness of birth registration is the percentage of children under age 5 whose births were registered at the time of the survey. The numerator of completeness of birth registration includes children whose birth certificate was seen by the interviewer or whose mother or caretaker says the birth has been registered.; ; UNICEF's State of the World's Children based mostly on household surveys and ministry of health data.; Weighted average;

The "motherhood and childhood health index" symbolizes the health condition on birth related issues of a certain area in 2010. The quality of health system is an important factor determining the adaptive capacity. Beside the lack of medical services we should consider also the lack of access to these services. The index results from the third cluster of the Principal Component Analysis preformed among 16 potential variables. The analysis identify three dominant variables, namely "maternal mortality", "infant mortality" and "percentage of delivery in a healthcare facility", assigning respectively the weights of 0.39, 0.38 and 0.23. Before to perform the analysis all the variables were log transformed (except "infant mortality") to shorten the extreme variation and then were score-standardized (converted to distribution with average of 0 and standard deviation of 1; with inverse method for "maternal mortality" and "infant mortality") in order to be comparable. Country-based data of maternal mortality rate were collected from World Bank in particular the modeled mortality per 100,000 live births average of the period 2008-2012 was computed. Tabular data were linked by country to the national boundaries shapefile (FAO/GAUL) and then converted into raster format (resolution 0.5 arc-minute). The first administrative level data for "infant mortality" (deaths per 1,000 live births before 12 months of life) was derived by the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) at Columbia University using survey data (collected between 1998 and 2012) from DHS, UNDP National Human Development Reports, UNICEF statistics, and in some cases national survey data. Tabular data were linked by first administrative unit to the first administrative boundaries shapefile (FAO/GAUL) and then converted into raster format (resolution 0.5 arc-minute). The first administrative level data for the "percentage of delivery in a healthcare facility" was derived using survey data collected between 1998 and 2012 from DHS, UNDP National Human Development Reports, UNICEF statistics, and in some cases national survey data. Maternal and infant mortality are proxy to measure the quality of the health system. Moreover, the "percentage of delivery in a healthcare facility" is traditionally used to assess the capacity to access to healthcare by local population. This dataset has been produced in the framework of the "Climate change predictions in Sub-Saharan Africa: impacts and adaptations (ClimAfrica)" project, Work Package 4 (WP4). More information on ClimAfrica project is provided in the Supplemental Information section of this metadata.

South Africa ZA: Completeness of Birth Registration data was reported at 85.000 % in 2012. This records a decrease from the previous number of 92.000 % for 2008. South Africa ZA: Completeness of Birth Registration data is updated yearly, averaging 85.000 % from Dec 2006 (Median) to 2012, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 92.000 % in 2008 and a record low of 78.000 % in 2006. South Africa ZA: Completeness of Birth Registration data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Completeness of birth registration is the percentage of children under age 5 whose births were registered at the time of the survey. The numerator of completeness of birth registration includes children whose birth certificate was seen by the interviewer or whose mother or caretaker says the birth has been registered.; ; UNICEF's State of the World's Children based mostly on household surveys and ministry of health data.; Weighted average;

United States Number of Births: American Indian or Alaska Native data was reported at 24,571.000 Person in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 25,721.000 Person for 2022. United States Number of Births: American Indian or Alaska Native data is updated yearly, averaging 39,453.000 Person from Dec 1985 (Median) to 2023, with 39 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 49,537.000 Person in 2008 and a record low of 24,571.000 Person in 2023. United States Number of Births: American Indian or Alaska Native data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G007: Number of Births.

Singapore SG: Births Attended by Skilled Health Staff: % of Total data was reported at 99.600 % in 2016. This stayed constant from the previous number of 99.600 % for 2015. Singapore SG: Births Attended by Skilled Health Staff: % of Total data is updated yearly, averaging 99.700 % from Dec 1996 (Median) to 2016, with 21 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 99.800 % in 2008 and a record low of 99.600 % in 2016. Singapore SG: Births Attended by Skilled Health Staff: % of Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Singapore – Table SG.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Births attended by skilled health staff are the percentage of deliveries attended by personnel trained to give the necessary supervision, care, and advice to women during pregnancy, labor, and the postpartum period; to conduct deliveries on their own; and to care for newborns.; ; UNICEF, State of the World's Children, Childinfo, and Demographic and Health Surveys.; Weighted average; Assistance by trained professionals during birth reduces the incidence of maternal deaths during childbirth. The share of births attended by skilled health staff is an indicator of a health system’s ability to provide adequate care for pregnant women.

Mexico Number of Births: Baja California Sur data was reported at 10,519.000 Person in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 11,128.000 Person for 2022. Mexico Number of Births: Baja California Sur data is updated yearly, averaging 11,509.000 Person from Dec 1985 (Median) to 2023, with 39 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 13,993.000 Person in 2008 and a record low of 8,185.000 Person in 1985. Mexico Number of Births: Baja California Sur data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Institute of Statistics and Geography. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Mexico – Table MX.G009: Number of Births.