DHS-8 Questionnaires

Written by: The DHS Program

10 Oct, 2019

The DHS Program is pleased to share our updated questionnaires for DHS-8. We held an open comment period in early 2019 and received over 1,000 pages of material from stakeholders worldwide. After careful consideration of each submission, we made numerous changes to better meet existing and emerging data needs in global health. We are especially excited to announce the shift from a birth history to a full pregnancy history and the addition of minimum dietary diversity for women.

We added 183 new questions across all health areas, revised existing questions to better measure current indicators, and deleted questions that were no longer programmatically relevant. We have also expanded into new areas, including alcohol consumption and breast and cervical cancer screening. Additional changes to DHS optional modules and a list of new modules will be announced later this year.

In addition to the updated questionnaires, a brief summary document was developed highlighting the revision process and new content included in the core questionnaires. Revisions were made to the majority of topics including, family planning, nutrition, gender, HIV, vaccination, and more.

Learn more about the DHS-8 questionnaire revisions by the numbers in the infographic below.

Visit The DHS Program to learn more about the standard model questionnaires for all types of surveys.

Featured image: © 2017 Magali Rochat VectorWorks, Courtesy of Photoshare

Author

  • The Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program has collected, analyzed, and disseminated accurate and representative data on population, health, HIV, and nutrition through more than 400 surveys in over 90 countries. The DHS Program is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Contributions from other donors, as well as funds from participating countries, also support surveys. The project is implemented by ICF.

13 thoughts on “DHS-8 Questionnaires

  1. Disappointing to see that a critical and current theme like migration is not being acknowledged in the realm of migrant health as part of the Health 4 All program but I am hopeful it is one of the optional modules reference is made to

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Anthropometry measurement (height and weight) is a core component of DHS surveys that is used to generate indicators on nutritional status. The Biomarker Questionnaire now includes questions on clothing and hairstyle interference on measurements for both women and children for improved interpretation.