Spotlight on Implementing Agencies: Democratic Republic of the Congo

Written by: The DHS Program

04 Apr, 2019

In January 2019, The DHS Program welcomed visitors from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This post is one in a series of interviews with visitors to DHS headquarters. Don’t read French? You can use the translate feature at the top of the page! Nom : Didine K. Kaba Pays d’origine :  République Démocratique du Congo Titre et organisation : Professeur (MD, PhD), Département […]


DHS Data Users: Insights on Health System Quality from the Service Provision Assessments

Written by: The DHS Program

21 Mar, 2019

© 2017 Magali Rochat/VectorWorks, Courtesy of Photoshare This new blog series, DHS Data Users, captures examples of how you, the data user, have incorporated data from DHS, MIS, and/or SPA surveys into your analyses, at your institution, or to influence policies or programs. If you are interested in being featured in the ‘DHS Data Users’ […]


International Women’s Day 2019

Written by: The DHS Program

08 Mar, 2019

© 2016 Kato James, Courtesy of Photoshare The DHS Program is now in its 35th year with a long history of helping to collect, analyze, and disseminate data on women’s empowerment, gender equality, men’s engagement, and gender-based violence within the context of health and development. Historically, The DHS Program has integrated attention to gender in […]


Strengthening Nutrition Data Quality at The DHS Program

Written by: The DHS Program

28 Feb, 2019

A health technician tests a child for anemia during a survey training. © 2018 ICF/Sorrel Namaste “Everything bad can go wrong at collecting the sample, and you can’t get any good results from a bad sample. ” – Informant from the Enhancing Nutrition Data Quality Report Data for decision-making is vital as countries work to […]


Inside The DHS Program: Q&A with Tom Pullum

Written by: The DHS Program

20 Feb, 2019

Name: Tom Pullum Position title: Director of Research What is your role at The DHS Program? I manage the analysis team, which prepares the majority of analysis reports that are released after the Final Reports and standard recode files have been produced. I am the lead author or co-author of at least a couple of […]


Updated Recode Manual for DHS-VII

Written by: The DHS Program

29 Jan, 2019

What is the DHS-VII Recode Manual? The basic approach of The DHS Program is to collect data that are comparable across countries. This is achieved through the use of model questionnaires and the subsequent processing of the raw data into standardized data formats known as recode files. The DHS-VII Recode Manual is an introduction to […]


Model Questionnaire Review Portal Now Open

Written by: The DHS Program

22 Jan, 2019

© 2013 Gayduo, Liberia DHS Pretest In collaboration with USAID, The DHS Program is in the process of reviewing the Model Questionnaires and optional modules used for The Program’s flagship Demographic and Health Surveys. The objective of this review is to revise these tools under the DHS-8 contract to better meet current and emerging data needs. […]


35 Years of DHS…and 5 More to Come

Written by: The DHS Program

26 Dec, 2018

What was happening in the world in 1984? The AIDS virus was identified Indira Gandhi was assassinated Michael Jackson moonwalked and won awards for his “Thriller” album Apple released the first MacIntosh computer Famine in Ethiopia sparked worldwide attention And… El Salvador began the very first Demographic and Health Survey A lot has changed in […]


Thermal Care and Umbilical Cord Care Practices and Their Associations with Newborn Mortality

Written by: The DHS Program

18 Dec, 2018

The global public health agenda spotlight is increasingly focused on reducing preventable newborn deaths. Skilled care at birth and delivery in a health facility equipped with life-saving medical technologies is a clear path to prevention. However, many women continue to deliver at home, impeded by lack of access to a health facility, concerns of sub-par […]


16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence

Written by: The DHS Program

03 Dec, 2018

We are halfway through the 16 days of Activism against Gender-based Violence, but there is still time to get involved. The DHS Program has a variety of resources to help you learn about the prevalence of violence against women around the world. Since 2000, The DHS Program has collected domestic violence data in more than 50 countries. Explore […]


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.