The Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program overseen by the US Agency for International AID (USAID) uses nationally representative surveys, biomarker testing, and geographic location to collect data on monitoring and impact evaluation indicators for individual countries and for cross-country comparisons.

Standardized DHS surveys include the Demographic and Health Survey, Service Provision Assessment, HIV/AIDS Indicator Survey, Malaria Indicator Survey, and Key Indicators Survey. The DHS Program also collects biomarkers and geographic data. Data availability varies by year and country. A table that lists all currently available data can be found here.

Datasets dating from 1986 to the present are available for 93 countries in which data were collect through Household questionnaires, Women's questionnaires, Men's questionnaires, Biomarker's questionnaires, and Fieldworker's questionnaires. The following data types are produced from the collected data : Household Recode, Household Member Recode, Individual Women's Recode, Births Recode, Children's Recode, Men's Recode, Couple's Recode, Geographic Data, Geospatial Covariates. To view surveys and available datasets go to https://dhsprogram.com/data/available-datasets.cfm. Access to datasets for DHS surveys and their supporting documents may be granted to individuals who register at https://dhsprogram.com/data/new-user-registration.cfm and create a new research project request.

A program that provides technical assistance for surveys that aim to advance global understanding of health and population trends in developing countries. The DHS program collects, analyzes, and disseminates accurate and representative data on population, health, HIV, and nutrition through more than 300 surveys in over 90 countries.

Contains data from the DHS data portal. There is also a dataset containing Eswatini - Subnational Demographic and Health Data on HDX.

The DHS Program Application Programming Interface (API) provides software developers access to aggregated indicator data from The Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program. The API can be used to create various applications to help analyze, visualize, explore and disseminate data on population, health, HIV, and nutrition from more than 90 countries.

Contains data from the DHS data portal. There is also a dataset containing Mozambique - National Demographic and Health Data on HDX.

The DHS Program Application Programming Interface (API) provides software developers access to aggregated indicator data from The Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program. The API can be used to create various applications to help analyze, visualize, explore and disseminate data on population, health, HIV, and nutrition from more than 90 countries.

Abstract

The 1993 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) is a nationally representative survey of 4,562 women age 15-49 and 1,302 men age 15-59. The survey is designed to furnish policymakers, planners and program managers with factual, reliable and up-to-date information on fertility, family planning and the status of maternal and child health care in the country. The survey, which was carried out by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), marks Ghana's second participation in the worldwide Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) program.

The principal objective of the 1993 GDHS is to generate reliable and current information on fertility, mortality, contraception and maternal and child health indicators. Such data are necessary for effective policy formulation as well as program design, monitoring and evaluation. The 1993 GDHS is, in large measure, an update to the 1988 GDHS. Together, the two surveys provide comparable information for two points in time, thus allowing assessment of changes and trends in various demographic and health indicators over time.

Long-term objectives of the survey include (i) strengthening the capacity of the Ghana Statistical Service to plan, conduct, process and analyze data from a complex, large-scale survey such as the Demographic and Health Survey, and (ii) contributing to the ever-expanding international database on demographic and health-related variables.

Geographic coverage

National

Analysis unit

• Household
• Children under five years
• Women age 15-49
• Men age 15-59

Kind of data

Sample survey data

Sampling procedure

The 1993 GDHS is a stratified, self-weighting, nationally representative sample of households chosen from 400 Enumeration Areas (EAs). The 1984 Population Census EAs constituted the sampling frame. The frame was first stratified into three ecological zones, namely coastal, forest and savannah, and then into urban and rural EAs. The EAs were selected with probability proportional to the number of households. Households within selected EAs were subsequently listed and a systematic sample of households was selected for the survey. The survey was designed to yield a sample of 5,400 women age 15-49 and a sub-sample of males age 15-59 systematically selected from one-third of the 400 EAs.

Note: See detailed description of sample design in APPENDIX A of the survey report.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face

Research instrument

Survey instruments used to elicit information for the 1993 GDHS are 1) Household Schedule 2) Women's Questionnaire and 3) Men's Questionnaire.

The questionnaires were structured based on the Demographic and Health Survey Model B Questionnaire designed for countries with low levels of contraceptive use. The final version of the questionnaires evolved out of a series of meetings with personnel of relevant ministries, institutions and organizations engaged in activities relating to fertility and family planning, health and nutrition and rehabilitation of persons with disabilities.

The questionnaires were first developed in English and later translated and printed in five major local languages, namely: Akan, Dagbani, Ewe, Ga, and Hausa. In the selected households, all usual members and visitors were listed in the household schedule. Background information, such as age, sex, relationship to head of household, marital status and level of education, was collected on each listed person. Questions on economic activity, occupation, industry, employment status, number of days worked in the past week and number of hours worked per day was asked of all persons age seven years and over. Those who did not work during the reference period were asked whether or not they actively looked for work.

Information on the health and disability status of all persons was also collected in the household schedule. Migration history was elicited from all persons age 15 years and over, as well as information on the survival status and residence of natural parents of all children less than 15 years in the household.

Data on source of water supply, type of toilet facility, number of sleeping rooms available to the household, material of floor and ownership of specified durable consumer goods were also elicited.

Finally, the household schedule was the instrument used to identify eligible women and men from whom detailed information was collected during the individual interview.

The women's questionnaire was used to collect information on eligible women identified in the household schedule. Eligible women were defined as those age 15-49 years who are usual members of the household and visitors who spent the night before the interview with the household. Questions asked in the questionnaire were on the following topics:

• Background Characteristics
• Reproductive History
• Contraceptive Knowledge and Use
• Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
• Immunization and Health
• Marriage
• Fertility Preferences
• Maternal Mortality
• Husband's Background and Women's Work
• Knowledge of AIDS and Other Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs).

All female respondents with at least one live birth since January 1990 and their children born since 1st January 1990 had their height and weight taken.

The men's questionnaire was administered to men in sample households in a third of selected EAs. An eligible man was 15-59 years old who is either a usual household member or a visitor who spent the night preceding the day of interview with the household.

Topics enquired about in the men's questionnaire included the following: - Background Characteristics - Reproductive History - Contraceptive Knowledge and Use - Marriage - Fertility Preferences - Knowledge of AIDS and Other STDs.

Cleaning operations

Questionnaires from the field were sent to the secretariat at the Head Office for checking and office editing. The office editing, which was undertaken by two officers, involved correcting inconsistencies in the questionnaire responses and coding open-ended questions. The questionnaires were then forwarded to the data processing unit for data entry. Data capture and verification were undertaken by four data entry operators. Nearly 20 percent of the questionnaires were verified. This phase of the survey covered four and a half months - that is, from mid-October, 1993 to the end of February, 1994.

After the data entry, three professional staff members performed the secondary editing of questionnaires that were flagged either because entries were inconsistent or values of specific variables were out of range or missing. The secondary editing was completed on 17th March, 1994 and the tables for the preliminary report were generated on 18th March, 1994. The software package used for the data processing was the Integrated System for Survey Analysis (ISSA).

Response rate

A sample of 6,161 households was selected, from which 5,919 households were contacted for interview. Interviews were successfully completed in 5,822 households, indicating a household response rate of 98 percent. About 3 percent of selected households were absent during the interviewing period, and are excluded from the calculations of the response rate.

Even though the sample was designed to yield interviews with nearly 5,400 women age 15-49 only 4,700 women were identified as eligible for the individual interview. Individual interviews were successfully completed for 4,562 eligible women, giving a response rate of 97 percent. Similarly, instead of the expected 1,700 eligible men being identified in the households only 1,354 eligible men were found and 1,302 of these were successfully interviewed, with a response rate of 96 percent.

The principal reason for non-response among eligible women and men was not finding them at home despite repeated visits to the households. However, refusal rates for both eligible women and men were low, 0.3 percent and 0.2 percent, respectively.

Note: See summarized response rates in Table 1.1 of the survey report.

Sampling error estimates

The results from sample surveys are affected by two types of errors, non-sampling error and sampling error. Non-sampling error is due to mistakes made in carrying out field activities, such as failure to locate and interview the correct household, errors in the way the questions are asked, misunderstanding on the part of either the interviewer or the respondent, data entry errors, etc. Although efforts were made during the design and implementation of the 1993 GDHS to minimize this type of error, non-sampling errors are impossible to avoid and difficult to evaluate statistically.

Sampling errors, on the other hand, can be measured statistically. The sample of eligible women selected in the 1993 GDHS is only one of many samples that could have been selected from the same population, using the same design and expected size. Each one would have yielded results that differed somewhat from the actual sample selected. The sampling error is a measure of the variability between all possible samples; although it is not known exactly, it can be estimated from the survey results.

Sampling error is usually measured in terms of standard error of a particular statistic (mean, percentage, etc.), which is the square root of the variance of the statistic. The standard error can be used to calculate confidence intervals within which, apart from non-sampling errors, the true value for the population can reasonably be assumed to fall. For example, for any given statistic calculated from a sample survey, the value of that same statistic as measured in 95 percent of all possible samples with the same design (and expected size) will fall within a range

BackgroundOne of the greatest obstacles facing efforts to address quality of care in low and middle income countries is the absence of relevant and reliable data. This article proposes a methodology for creating a single “Quality Index” (QI) representing quality of maternal and neonatal health care based upon data collected as part of the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) program.MethodsUsing the 2012 Indonesian Demographic and Health Survey dataset, indicators of quality of care were identified based on the recommended guidelines outlined in the WHO Integrated Management of Pregnancy and Childbirth. Two sets of indicators were created; one set only including indicators available in the standard DHS questionnaire and the other including all indicators identified in the Indonesian dataset. For each indicator set composite indices were created using Principal Components Analysis and a modified form of Equal Weighting. These indices were tested for internal coherence and robustness, as well as their comparability with each other. Finally a single QI was chosen to explore the variation in index scores across a number of known equity markers in Indonesia including wealth, urban rural status and geographical region.ResultsThe process of creating quality indexes from standard DHS data was proven to be feasible, and initial results from Indonesia indicate particular disparities in the quality of care received by the poor as well as those living in outlying regions.ConclusionsThe QI represents an important step forward in efforts to understand, measure and improve quality of MNCH care in developing countries.

Contains data from the DHS data portal. There is also a dataset containing South Africa - Subnational Demographic and Health Data on HDX.

The DHS Program Application Programming Interface (API) provides software developers access to aggregated indicator data from The Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program. The API can be used to create various applications to help analyze, visualize, explore and disseminate data on population, health, HIV, and nutrition from more than 90 countries.

Abstract

The 2017 Tajikistan Demographic and Health Survey (TjDHS) is the second Demographic and Health Survey conducted in Tajikistan. It was implemented by the Statistical Agency under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan (SA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Population (MOHSP).

The primary objective of the 2017 TjDHS is to provide current and reliable information on population and health issues. Specifically, the TjDHS collected information on fertility and contraceptive use, maternal and child health and nutrition, childhood mortality, domestic violence against women, child discipline, awareness and behavior regarding HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and other health-related issues such as smoking and high blood pressure. The 2017 TjDHS follows the 2012 TjDHS survey and provides updated estimates of key demographic and health indicators.

The information collected through the TjDHS is intended to assist policy makers and program managers in evaluating and designing programs and strategies for improving the health of the country’s population.

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

• Household
• Individual
• Children age 0-5
• Woman age 15-49

Universe

The survey covered all de jure household members (usual residents) and all women age 15-49 years resident in the sample household.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The sampling frame used for the 2017 TjDHS is the 2010 Tajikistan Population and Housing Census conducted by the SA. Administratively, Tajikistan is divided into five regions: Dushanbe, Districts of Republican Subordination (DRS), Sughd, Khatlon, and Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO). Each region is subdivided into urban and rural areas. The country is divided into districts distributed over the country’s regions. Each district is further divided into census divisions, which are subdivided into instruction areas. Each instruction area is divided into urban enumeration areas (EAs) or rural villages. The sampling frame of the 2017 TjDHS is a list of EAs and natural villages covering all urban and rural areas of the country, with the primary sampling units (PSUs) being EAs in urban areas and natural villages in rural areas. An EA is a geographical area, usually a city block, consisting of the minimum number of households required for efficient counting; each EA serves as a counting unit for the population census.

The sample was designed to yield representative results for the urban and rural areas separately, and for each of the four administrative regions and Dushanbe. In addition, as in the previous TjDHS survey, the sample was designed to allow certain indicators to be presented for the 12 districts in Khatlon covered under the Feed the Future program (FTF); these 12 districts have been combined as a single FTF domain. The sampling frame excluded institutional populations such as persons in hotels, barracks, and prisons.

The 2017 TjDHS followed a stratified two-stage sample design. The first stage involved selecting sample PSUs (clusters) with a probability proportional to their size within each sampling stratum. A total of 366 clusters were selected, 166 in urban areas and 200 in rural areas.

The second stage involved systematic sampling of households. A household listing operation was undertaken in all of the selected clusters, and a fixed number of 22 households was selected from each cluster with an equal probability systematic selection process, for a total sample of just over 8,000 households.

For further details on sample design, see Appendix A of the final report.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

Three questionnaires were used in the 2017 TjDHS: the Household Questionnaire, the Woman’s Questionnaire, and the Biomarker Questionnaire. These questionnaires, based on The DHS Program’s model questionnaires, were adapted to reflect the population and health issues relevant to Tajikistan. In addition, information about the fieldworkers for the survey was collected through a self-administered Fieldworker Questionnaire. Suggestions were solicited from various stakeholders representing government ministries and agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and international donors. After all questionnaires were finalized in English, they were translated into Russian and Tajik.

Cleaning operations

All electronic data files were transferred via a secure internet file streaming system (IFSS) to the SA central office in Dushanbe, where they were stored on a password-protected computer. The data processing operation included secondary editing, which required resolution of computer-identified inconsistencies and coding of open-ended questions. The data were processed by two IT specialists and one secondary editor who took part in the main fieldwork training; they were supervised remotely by The DHS Program staff. Data editing was accomplished using CSPro software. During the fieldwork, field-check tables were generated to check various data quality parameters, and specific feedback was given to the teams to improve performance. Secondary editing and data processing were initiated in August 2017 and completed in February 2018.

Response rate

All 8,064 households in the selected housing units were eligible for the survey, of which 7,915 were occupied. Of the occupied households, 7,843 were successfully interviewed, yielding a response rate of 99%.

In the interviewed households, 10,799 women age 15-49 were identified for subsequent individual interviews; interviews were completed with 10,718 women, yielding a response rate of 99%, which is the same response rate achieved in the 2012 survey.

Sampling error estimates

The estimates from a sample survey are affected by two types of errors: nonsampling errors and sampling errors. Nonsampling errors are the results of mistakes made in implementing data collection and data processing, such as failure to locate and interview the correct household, misunderstanding of the questions on the part of either the interviewer or the respondent, and data entry errors. Although numerous efforts were made during the implementation of the 2017 Tajikistan Demographic and Health Survey (TjDHS) to minimize this type of error, nonsampling errors are impossible to avoid and difficult to evaluate statistically.

Sampling errors, on the other hand, can be evaluated statistically. The sample of respondents selected in the 2017 TjDHS is only one of many samples that could have been selected from the same population, using the same design and expected size. Each of these samples would yield results that differ somewhat from the results of the actual sample selected. Sampling errors are a measure of the variability among all possible samples. Although the degree of variability is not known exactly, it can be estimated from the survey results.

Sampling error is usually measured in terms of the standard error for a particular statistic (mean, percentage, etc.), which is the square root of the variance. The standard error can be used to calculate confidence intervals within which the true value for the population can reasonably be assumed to fall. For example, for any given statistic calculated from a sample survey, the value of that statistic will fall within a range of plus or minus two times the standard error of that statistic in 95% of all possible samples of identical size and design.

If the sample of respondents had been selected as a simple random sample, it would have been possible to use straightforward formulas for calculating sampling errors. However, the 2017 TjDHS sample is the result of a multi-stage stratified design, and, consequently, it was necessary to use more complex formulas. Sampling errors are computed in SAS using programs developed by ICF. These programs use the Taylor linearization method to estimate variances for survey estimates that are means, proportions, or ratios. The Jackknife repeated replication method is used for variance estimation of more complex statistics such as fertility and mortality rates.

A more detailed description of estimates of sampling errors are presented in Appendix B of the survey final report.

Data appraisal

Data Quality Tables - Household age distribution - Age distribution of eligible and interviewed women - Completeness of reporting - Births by calendar years - Reporting of age at death in days - Reporting of age at death in months - Height and weight data completeness and quality for children

See details of the data quality tables in Appendix C of the survey final report.

Abstract

The Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) Program is a USAID funded program that supports governments with their demographic and health data surveys and makes the data available on their website. Demographic and health data for 46 African countries https://www.dhsprogram.com/Countries/Country-List.cfm is available from the DHS site. Researchers can register their projects with the Program on the site to obtain access to this data https://www.dhsprogram.com/data/new-user-registration.cfm Reports for each survey round are also available from the site https://www.dhsprogram.com/publications/index.cfm

Analysis unit

Households and individuals

Kind of data

Survey data

The JPFHS is part of the worldwide Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) program, which is designed to collect data on fertility, family planning, and maternal and child health. The 1990 Jordan Population and Family Health Survey (JPFHS) was carried out as part of the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) program. The Demographic and Health Surveys is assisting governments and private agencies in the implementation of household surveys in developing countries. The JPFIS was designed to provide information on levels and trends of fertility, infant and child mortality, and family planning. The survey also gathered information on breastfeeding, matemal and child health cam, the nutritional status of children under five, as well as the characteristics of households and household members. The main objectives of the project include: a) Providing decision makers with a data base and analyses useful for informed policy choices, b) Expanding the international population and health data base, c) Advancing survey methodology, and d) Developing skills and resources necessary to conduct high quality demographic and health surveys in the participating countries.

Contains data from the DHS data portal. There is also a dataset containing Türkiye - Subnational Demographic and Health Data on HDX.

The DHS Program Application Programming Interface (API) provides software developers access to aggregated indicator data from The Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program. The API can be used to create various applications to help analyze, visualize, explore and disseminate data on population, health, HIV, and nutrition from more than 90 countries.

Contains data from the DHS data portal. There is also a dataset containing Guatemala - Subnational Demographic and Health Data on HDX.

The DHS Program Application Programming Interface (API) provides software developers access to aggregated indicator data from The Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program. The API can be used to create various applications to help analyze, visualize, explore and disseminate data on population, health, HIV, and nutrition from more than 90 countries.

Abstract

The main objective of a demographic household survey (DHS) is to provide estimates of a number of basic demographic and health variables. This is done through interviews with a scientifically selected probability sample that is chosen from a well-defined population.

The 2007 Nauru Demographic and Health Survey (2007 NDHS) was one of four pilot demographic and health surveys conducted in the Pacific under an Asian Development Bank ADB/ Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) Regional DHS Pilot Project. The primary objective of this survey was to provide up-to-date information for policy-makers, planners, researchers and programme managers, for use in planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating population and health programmes within the country. The survey was intended to provide key estimates of Nauru's demographics and health situation. The findings of the 2007 NDHS are very important in measuring the achievements of family planning and other health programmes. To ensure better understanding and use of these data, the results of this survey should be widely disseminated at different planning levels. Different dissemination techniques will be used to reach different segments of society.

The primary purpose of the 2007 NDHS was to furnish policy-makers and planners with detailed information on fertility, family planning, infant and child mortality, maternal and child health, nutrition, and knowledge of HIV and AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections.

NOTE: The only dissemination used was wide distribution of the report. A planned data use workshop was not undertaken. Hence there is some misconceptions and lack of awareness on the results obtained from the survey. The report is provided on the NBOS website free for download.

Geographic coverage

National Coverage - Districts

Analysis unit

• Households
• Children (0-14yrs)
• Individual women of reproductive age (15-49 yrs)
• Individual men of reproductive age (15yrs+)
• Facilities providing reproductive and child health services

Universe

The survey covered all household members (usual residents), - All children (aged 0-14 years) resident in the household - All women of reproductive age (15-49 years) resident in all household - All males (15yrs and above) in every second household (approx. 50%) resident in selected household

Results: The 2007 Nauru Demographic Health Survey (2007 NDHS) is a nationally representative survey of 655 eligible women (aged 15-49) and 392 eligible men (aged 15 and above).

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

IDG NOTES: Locate sampling documentation with SPC (Graeme Brown) and internal files. Add in this sections. Or second option dilute appendix A Sampling and extract key issues.

ESTIMATES OF SAMPLING ERRORS - Refer to Appendix A of final NDHS2007 report or; - External Resources - 2007 DHS- Appendix A and B Sampling (to be created separatedly by IDG progress ongoing)

Sampling deviation

IDG NOTES: Locate sampling documentation with Macro and internal files. Add in this section. Or second option dilute appendix B Sampling and extract key issues.

ESTIMATES OF SAMPLING ERRORS - Refer to Appendix B of final NDHS2007 report or;

• External Resources
  • 2007 DHS- Appendix A and B Sampling (to be created separatedly by IDG progress ongoing)

Extract:

In the 2007 NDHS Report of the survey results, sampling errors for selected variables have been presented in a tabular format. The sampling error tables should include:

.. Variable name

R: Value of the estimate; SE: Sampling error of the estimate; N: Unweighted number of cases on which the estimate is based; WN: Weighted number of cases; DEFT: Design effect value that compensates for the loss of precision that results from using cluster rather than simple random sampling; SE/R: Relative standard error (i.e. ratio of the sampling error to the value estimate); R-2SE: Lower limit of the 95% confidence interval; R+2SE: Upper limit of the 95% confidence interval (never >1.000 for a proportion).

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

DHS questionnaire for women cover the following sections:

• Background characteristics (age, education, religion, etc)
• Reproductive history
• Knowledge and use of contraception methods
• Antenatal care, delivery care and postnatal care
• Breastfeeding and infant feeding
• Immunization, child health and nutrition
• Marriage and recent sexual activity
• Fertility preferences
• Knowledge about HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections
• Husbands background and women's work

The men's questionnaire covers the same except for sections 4, 5, 6 which are not applicable to men.

It was also recognized that some countries have a need for special information that is not contained in the core questionnaire. Separate questionnaire modules were developed on a series of topics. These topics are optional and include:

• maternal mortality
• pill-taking behaviour
• sterilization experience
• children's education
• women's status
• domestic violence
• health expenditures
• consanguinity

The Papua New Guinea (PNG) questionnaire was proposed for Nauru to adapt as in comparison to the existing DHS model, this is not as lengthy and time-consuming. The PNG questionnaire also dealt with high incidence of alcohol and tobacco in Nauru. Questions on HIV/AIDS and STI knowledge were included in the men's questionnaire where it was not included in the PNG questionnaire.

Response rate

IDG NOTES: Locate response rate documentation with SPC (Graeme Brown) and internal files. Add in this sections.

The principal objective of the 2006 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) is to provide current and reliable data on fertility and family planning behavior, child mortality, adult and maternal mortality, children’s nutritional status, the utilization of maternal and child health services, and knowledge of HIV/AIDS. For the first time, the 2006 NDHS conducted anemia testing at the household level for the country as a whole to provide information on the prevalence of anemia at the population level. The specific objectives of the survey are to: collect data at the national level which will allow the calculation of key demographic rates; analyze the direct and indirect factors which determine the level and trends of fertility; measure the level of contraceptive knowledge and practice among women and men by method, urban-rural residence and region, collect high-quality data on family health including immunization coverage among children, prevalence and treatment of diarrhea and other diseases among children under five, and maternity care indicators including antenatal visits, assistance at delivery, and postnatal care; collect data on infant and child mortality, and maternal and adult mortality; obtain data on child feeding practices including breastfeeding, and collect anthropometric measures to use in assessing the nutritional status of women and children; collect data on knowledge and attitudes of women and men about sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS and evaluate patterns of recent behavior regarding condom use; conduct hemoglobin testing on women age 15-49 and children age 6-59 months in the households selected for the survey to provide information on the prevalence of anemia among women in the reproductive ages and young children. This information is essential for informed policy decisions, planning, monitoring, and evaluation of programs on health in general and reproductive health in particular at both the national and regional levels. A long-term objective of the survey is to strengthen the technical capacity of government organizations to plan, conduct, process, and analyze data from complex national population and health surveys. Moreover, the 2006 NDHS provides national, regional and subregional estimates on population and health that are comparable to data collected in similar surveys in other developing countries. The first Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) in Nepal was the 1996 Nepal Family Health Survey (NFHS) conducted as part of the worldwide DHS program, and was followed five years later by the 2001 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS). Data from the 2006 NDHS survey, the third such survey, allow for comparison of information gathered over a longer period of time and add to the vast and growing international database on demographic and health variables. Wherever possible, the 2006 NDHS data are compared with data from the two earlier DHS surveys—the 2001 NDHS and the 1996 NFHS—which also sampled women age 15-49. Additionally, men age 15-59 were interviewed in the 2001 NDHS and the 2006 NDHS to provide comparable data for men over the last five years.

Contains data from the DHS data portal. There is also a dataset containing Turkmenistan - National Demographic and Health Data on HDX.

The DHS Program Application Programming Interface (API) provides software developers access to aggregated indicator data from The Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program. The API can be used to create various applications to help analyze, visualize, explore and disseminate data on population, health, HIV, and nutrition from more than 90 countries.

Contains data from the DHS data portal. There is also a dataset containing Trinidad and Tobago - Subnational Demographic and Health Data on HDX.

The DHS Program Application Programming Interface (API) provides software developers access to aggregated indicator data from The Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program. The API can be used to create various applications to help analyze, visualize, explore and disseminate data on population, health, HIV, and nutrition from more than 90 countries.

Abstract

The 2015-16 Armenia Demographic and Health Survey (2015-16 ADHS) is the fourth in a series of nationally representative sample surveys designed to provide information on population and health issues. It is conducted in Armenia under the worldwide Demographic and Health Surveys program. Specifically, the objective of the 2015-16 ADHS is to provide current and reliable information on fertility and abortion levels, marriage, sexual activity, fertility preferences, awareness and use of family planning methods, breastfeeding practices, nutritional status of young children, childhood mortality, maternal and child health, domestic violence against women, child discipline, awareness and behavior regarding AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and other health-related issues such as smoking, tuberculosis, and anemia. The survey obtained detailed information on these issues from women of reproductive age and, for certain topics, from men as well.

The 2015-16 ADHS results are intended to provide information needed to evaluate existing social programs and to design new strategies to improve the health of and health services for the people of Armenia. Data are presented by region (marz) wherever sample size permits. The information collected in the 2015-16 ADHS will provide updated estimates of basic demographic and health indicators covered in the 2000, 2005, and 2010 surveys.

The long-term objective of the survey includes strengthening the technical capacity of major government institutions, including the NSS. The 2015-16 ADHS also provides comparable data for longterm trend analysis because the 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015-16 surveys were implemented by the same organization and used similar data collection procedures. It also adds to the international database of demographic and health–related information for research purposes.

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

• Household
• Individual
• Children age 0-5
• Woman age 15-49
• Man age 15-49

Universe

The survey covered all de jure household members (usual residents), children age 0-4 years, women age 15-49 years and men age 15-49 years resident in the household.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The sample was designed to produce representative estimates of key indicators at the national level, for Yerevan, and for total urban and total rural areas separately. Many indicators can also be estimated at the regional (marz) level.

The sampling frame used for the 2015-16 ADHS is the Armenia Population and Housing Census, which was conducted in Armenia in 2011 (APHC 2011). The sampling frame is a complete list of enumeration areas (EAs) covering the whole country, a total number of 11,571 EAs, provided by the National Statistical Service (NSS) of Armenia, the implementing agency for the 2015-16 ADHS. This EA frame was created from the census data base by summarizing the households down to EA level. A representative probability sample of 8,749 households was selected for the 2015-16 ADHS sample. The sample was selected in two stages. In the first stage, 313 clusters (192 in urban areas and 121 in rural areas) were selected from a list of EAs in the sampling frame. In the second stage, a complete listing of households was carried out in each selected cluster. Households were then systematically selected for participation in the survey. Appendix A provides additional information on the sample design of the 2015-16 Armenia DHS. Because of the approximately equal sample size in each marz, the sample is not self-weighting at the national level, and weighting factors have been calculated, added to the data file, and applied so that results are representative at the national level.

For further details on sample design, see Appendix A of the final report.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

Five questionnaires were used for the 2015-16 ADHS: the Household Questionnaire, the Woman’s Questionnaire, the Man’s Questionnaire, the Biomarker Questionnaire, and the Fieldworker Questionnaire. These questionnaires, based on The DHS Program’s standard Demographic and Health Survey questionnaires, were adapted to reflect the population and health issues relevant to Armenia. Input was solicited from various stakeholders representing government ministries and agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and international donors. After all questionnaires were finalized in English, they were translated into Armenian. They were pretested in September-October 2015.

Cleaning operations

The processing of the 2015-16 ADHS data began shortly after fieldwork commenced. All completed questionnaires were edited immediately by field editors while still in the field and checked by the supervisors before being dispatched to the data processing center at the NSS central office in Yerevan. These completed questionnaires were edited and entered by 15 data processing personnel specially trained for this task. All data were entered twice for 100 percent verification. Data were entered using the CSPro computer package. The concurrent processing of the data was an advantage because the senior ADHS technical staff were able to advise field teams of problems detected during the data entry. In particular, tables were generated to check various data quality parameters. Moreover, the double entry of data enabled easy comparison and identification of errors and inconsistencies. As a result, specific feedback was given to the teams to improve performance. The data entry and editing phase of the survey was completed in June 2016.

Response rate

A total of 8,749 households were selected in the sample, of which 8,205 were occupied at the time of the fieldwork. The main reason for the difference is that some of the dwelling units that were occupied during the household listing operation were either vacant or the household was away for an extended period at the time of interviewing. The number of occupied households successfully interviewed was 7,893, yielding a household response rate of 96 percent. The household response rate in urban areas (96 percent) was nearly the same as in rural areas (97 percent).

In these households, a total of 6,251 eligible women were identified; interviews were completed with 6,116 of these women, yielding a response rate of 98 percent. In one-half of the households, a total of 2,856 eligible men were identified, and interviews were completed with 2,755 of these men, yielding a response rate of 97 percent. Among men, response rates are slightly lower in urban areas (96 percent) than in rural areas (97 percent), whereas rates for women are the same in urban and in rural areas (98 percent).

The 2015-16 ADHS achieved a slightly higher response rate for households than the 2010 ADHS (NSS 2012). The increase is only notable for urban households (96 percent in 2015-16 compared with 94 percent in 2010). Response rates in all other categories are very close to what they were in 2010.

Sampling error estimates

SAS computer software were used to calculate sampling errors for the 2015-16 ADHS. The programs used the Taylor linearization method of variance estimation for means or proportions and the Jackknife repeated replication method for variance estimation of more complex statistics such as fertility and mortality rates.

A more detailed description of estimates of sampling errors are presented in Appendix B of the survey final report.

Data appraisal

Data Quality Tables - Household age distribution - Age distribution of eligible and interviewed women - Age distribution of eligible and interviewed men - Completeness of reporting - Births by calendar years - Reporting of age at death in days - Reporting of age at death in months - Nutritional status of children based on the NCHS/CDC/WHO International Reference Population - Vaccinations by background characteristics for children age 18-29 months

See details of the data quality tables in Appendix C of the survey final report.

Abstract

The Liberia Demographic and Health Survey (LDHS) was conducted as part of the worldwide Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) program, in which surveys are being carried out in countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Liberia was the second country to conduct a DHS and the first country in Africa to do so. THe LDHS was a national-level survey conducted from February to July 1986, covering a sample of 5,239 women aged 15 to 49.

The major objective of the LDHS was to provide data on fertility, family planning and maternal and child health to planners and policymakers in Liberia for use in designing and evaluating programs. Although a fair amount of demographic data was available from censuses and surveys, almost no information existed concerning family planning, health, or the determinants of fertility, and the data that did exist were drawn from small-scale, sub-national studies. Thus, there was a need for data to make informed policy choices for family planning and health projects.

A more specific objective was to provide baseline data for the Southeast Region Primary Health Care Project. In order to effectively plan strategies and to eventually evaluate the progress of the project in meeting its goals, there was need for data to indicate the health situation in the two target counties prior to the implementation of the project. Many of the desired topics, such as immunizations, family planning use, and prenatal care, were already incorporated into the model DHS questionnaire; nevertheless, the LDHS was able to better accommodate the needs of this project by adding several questions and by oversampling women living in Sinoe and Grand Gedeh Counties.

Another important goal of the LDHS was to enhance tile skills of those participating in the project for conducting high-quality surveys in the future. Finally, the contribution of Liberian data to an expanding international dataset was also an objective of the LDHS.

Geographic coverage

National

Analysis unit

• Households
• Children age 0-5
• Women age 15 to 49
• Men

Kind of data

Sample survey data

Sampling procedure

The sample for the Liberia Demographic and Health Survey was based on the sampling frame of about 4,500 censal enumeration areas (EAs) that were created for the 1984 Population Census. It was decided to eliminate very remote EAs prior to selecting the sample. The definition of remoteness used was "any EA in which the largest village was estimated to be more than 3-4 hours' walk from a road." According to the 1984 census, the excluded areas represent less than 3 percent of the total number of households in the country. Since the major analytic objective of the LDHS was to adequately estimate basic demographic and health indicators including fertility, mortality, and contraceptive prevalence for the whole country and the two sub-universes (Since and Grand Gedeh Counties), it was decided to oversample these two counties. Consequently, three explicit sub-universes of EAs were created: (1) Since County, (2) Grand Gedeh County, and (3) the rest of the country.

The design provided a self-weighted sample within each sub-universe, but, because of the oversampling in Sinoe and Grand Gedeh Counties, the sample is not self-weighting at the national level. Eligible respondents for the survey were women aged 15-49 years who were present the night before the interview in any of the households included in the sample selected for the LDHS.

The total sample size was expected to be about 6,000 women aged 15-49 with a target by sub-universe of 1,000 each in Sinoe and Grand Gedeh Counties and 4,000 in the rest of the country. It was decided that a sample of approximately 5,500 households selected through a two-stage procedure would be appropriate to reach those objectives. Sampling was carried out independently in each sub-universe. In the rest of the country sub-universe, counties were arranged for selection in serpentine order from the northwest (Cape Mount County) to the southeast (Maryland County). In the first stage EAs were selected systematically with probability proportional to size (size = number of households in 1984). Twenty-four EAs were selected in each of Sinoe and Grand Gedeh Counties and 108 EAs in the rest of the country.

See full sample procedure in the survey final report.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face

Research instrument

The Liberia Demographic and Health Survey (LDHS) utilized two questionnaires: One to list members of the selected households (Household Questionnaire) and the other to record information from all women aged 15-49 who were present in the selected households the night before the interview (Individual Questionnaire).

Both questionnaires were produced in Liberian English and were pretested in September 1985. The Individual Questionnaire was an early version of the DHS model questionnaire. It covered three main topics: (1) fertility, including a birth history and questions concerning desires for future childbearing, (2) family planning knowledge and use, and (3) family health, including prevalence of childhood diseases, immunizations for children under age five, and breasffeeding and weaning practices.

Cleaning operations

Data from the questionnaires were entered onto microcomputers at the Bureau of Statistics office in Monrovia. The data were then subjected to extensive checks for consistency and accuracy.

Errors detected during this operation were resolved either by referring to the original questionnaire, or, in some cases, by logical inference from other information given in the record. Finally, dates were imputed for the small number of cases where complete dates of important events were not given.

Response rate

Out of the total of 6,1306 households selected, 14.5 percent were found not to be valid households in the field, either because the dwelling had been vacated or destroyed, or the household could not be located or did not exist. Of the 5,609 households that were found to exist, 90 percent were successfully interviewed. In the households that were interviewed, a total of 5,340 women were identified as being eligible for individual interview (that is, they were aged 15-49 and had spent the night before the interview in the selected household). This represents an average of slightly over one eligible woman per household.

The response rate for eligible women was 98 percent. The main reason for nonresponse was the absence of the woman. Similar data are presented by sample subuniverse.

Sampling error estimates

The results from sample surveys are affected by two types of errors: (1) nonsampling error and (2) sampling error. Nonsampling error is due to mistakes made in carrying out field activities, such as failure to locate and interview the correct household, errors in the way questions are asked, misunderstanding of the questions on the part of either the interviewer or the respondent, data entry errors, etc. Although efforts were made during the design and implementation of the Liberia Demographic and Health Survey to minimize this type of error, nonsampling errors are impossible to avoid and difficult to evaluate statistically.

The sample of women selected in the LDHS is only one of many samples of the same size that could have been selected from the same population, using the same design. Each one would have yielded results that differed somewhat from the actual sample selected. The variability observed between all possible samples constitutes sampling error, which, although it is not known exactly, can be estimated from the survey results. Sampling error is usually measured in terms of the "standard error" of a particular statistic (mean, percentage, etc.), which is the square root of the variance of the statistic across all possible samples of equal size and design.

The standard error can be used to calculate confidence intervals within which one can be reasonably assured the true value of the variable for the whole population falls. For example, for any given statistic calculated from a sample survey, the value of that same statistic as measured in 95 percent of all possible samples of identical size and design will fall within a range of plus or minus two times the standard error of that statistic.

If the sample of women had been selected as a simple random sample, it would have been possible to use straightforward formulas for calculating sampling errors. However, the LDHS sample design depended on stratification, stages, and clusters and consequently, it was necessary to utilize more complex formulas. The computer package CLUSTERS was used to assist in computing the sampling errors with the proper statistical methodology.

Data appraisal

Information on the completeness of date reporting is of interest in assessing data quality. With regard to dates of birth of individual women, 42 percent of respondents reported both a month and year of birth, 21 percent gave a year of birth in addition to current age, and 37 percent gave only their ages. With regard to children's dates of birth in the birth history, 85 percent of births had both month and year reported, 12 percent had year and age reported, 1 percent had only age reported, and 2 percent had no date information.

The DHS Program Application Programming Interface (API) provides software developers access to aggregated indicator data from The Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program. The API can be used to create various applications to help analyze, visualize, explore and disseminate data on population, health, HIV, and nutrition.