Many DHS surveys include HIV testing. In some countries, the resulting HIV prevalence data prove to be a distraction; there is more attention on an unchanged 1% HIV prevalence rate than on the tremendous malaria burden or a high child mortality rate. The 2014 Lesotho DHS (LDHS), however, is a very different case. While the 2014 […]
Genital fistula, an abnormal hole between the vagina and rectum or bladder that causes urinary or fecal incontinence, is a devastating, preventable condition that no woman should have to endure. It usually results from inadequately managed, prolonged or obstructed labor, surgical error, or trauma [1, 2]. Although rare, it can be completely debilitating—physically, socially, and […]
What was the last vaccination you received? The one before that? When did you receive them? Where was the vaccine administered – your arm? Your thigh? The right or the left? For most of us, this is not easy information to remember. And yet it’s what we ask many women to recall for their children […]
How much time do you budget to create a data visualization? The best visualizations, though they appear to be simple and clear, are often the result of dozens of attempts. Demographers spend countless hours crunching data and preparing journal submissions, but not all take full advantage of data visualization, either in their exploratory analysis, or […]
Have you ever wanted to start immediately working on a DHS dataset, but didn’t have a research topic? Or didn’t want to take the time to register for access? Well, The DHS Program now has the cure for all your data analysis woes! The DHS Program has created model datasets so users can become familiar […]
For over 30 years, data from DHS surveys have been widely used to assess use of family planning, and monitor family planning programs around the world. DHS data are the gold standard for quality, but nuanced information related to fertility intentions and family planning use is often challenging to collect in a large-scale quantitative survey. […]
Fact sheets with survey results for the first 15 of the States and Union Territories from the 2015-16 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) were recently released to much fanfare and a veritable feeding frenzy among the media. The keen interest in the survey results materialized even without a formal dissemination event. The thirst for […]
I love maps! They are a great way to understand and visualize data, especially when you are looking to understand how place might influence certain health behaviors or outcomes. Luckily, I spend my days here at The DHS Program preparing data for maps, making maps, talking about maps, teaching others to make maps, and thinking of […]
Have you ever seen an infographic that was beautiful, but didn’t have a clear message? Or wade through a bunch of tables but struggle to see any meaningful patterns and trends? Ever see a chart you thought was terrible, but couldn’t figure out how to fix it? Data visualizations are key to disseminating DHS survey […]
In 1999, The DHS Program released the first STATcompiler. It was designed to replicate the tables in the tabulation plan of the DHS final reports at the time. Now, more than 15 years later, that database has reached “antique” status. While the user interface did get an overhaul in 2011, technology has continued to move […]