Five Ways IPUMS-DHS Can Simplify Your Life

Written by: The DHS Program

26 Jul, 2017

Have you ever formatted what you thought were your final models only to discover that: The survey question you used for your dependent variable had five rather than four variations across surveys? There are two other samples (not in your analysis) in which respondents were asked precisely the question that interests you? There is a […]


World Population Day 2017

Written by: The DHS Program

11 Jul, 2017

How well do you know your population pyramids? Celebrate World Population Day with The DHS Program’s Guess the Population Pyramid Quiz! See how you stack up against others and share your results below in the comment section, on Facebook, or Twitter! We are also having a live version of Guess the #PopPyramid on Twitter July 11 at 10AM […]


New Data Available from DHS-7 Questionnaire: Literacy, Ownership of Goods, Internet Use, Finances, and Tobacco Use

Written by: The DHS Program

01 Jun, 2017

This is Part 3 in the DHS-7 questionnaire blog series that explores the new data that are available in DHS reports resulting from changes made to the DHS questionnaires in 2014. This week’s post focuses on changes made to gather additional information about DHS respondents. Part 3:  Respondents’ Characteristics Understanding DHS survey respondents is critical […]


Everything You Need to Know about DHS Data and More

Written by: The DHS Program

15 May, 2017

So, you’re new to DHS and you’ve registered as a DHS data user, downloaded the free available datasets, but now what? We have the perfect resources to get you started. The following videos provide an overview of DHS data answering key questions such as, what is a data file or dataset? What is the difference between De […]


New data available from DHS-7 Questionnaire: WASH Indicators

Written by: The DHS Program

05 May, 2017

This is Part 2 in the New Data Available from DHS-7 Questionnaire blog series that explores the new data that are available in DHS reports resulting from changes made to the DHS-7 questionnaire in 2014. This post focuses on changes made to improve the quality and quantity of data collected about water and sanitation. Part […]


The DHS Program at the 2017 PAA Annual Meeting

Written by: The DHS Program

24 Apr, 2017

The DHS Program research team at the 2016 PAA Annual Meeting We are pleased to announce that The DHS Program and staff will be attending this year’s Population Association of America (PAA) Annual Meeting in Chicago from April 27-29. PAA is a nonprofit, scientific, professional organization established to promote the improvement, advancement, and progress of […]


New Data Available from DHS-7 Questionnaire: Maternal and Pregnancy-Related Mortality

Written by: The DHS Program

11 Apr, 2017
Baby Kabuche, 30 yrs old, 4 months pregnant, outside her house. Baby has 2 children: Eric, 12, living with granparents in Musoma and Judith, 6, living with her and her husband. She works in a factory manufacturing alluminium pots and iron rods. But as she becqme pregnant she took some unpaid leave as the factory uses acid and other toxic materials and she cares for the safety and health of her baby. Baby got malaria only once as she sleeps under mosquito net all the time. This new one makes her happy as it is treated with mosquito repellent and it is more effective.

© 2016 Riccardo Gangale/VectorWorks, Courtesy of Photoshare In 2014, The DHS Program began the process of updating the standard DHS questionnaires. With input from stakeholders, feedback from in-country implementing agencies, and a host of lessons learned from the previous 5-year program, we added, modified, and, in some cases, deleted questions. For many indicators, the actual […]


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.