Video: Interview with Martin Vaessen, Former Director of The DHS Program

Written by: The DHS Program

07 Jan, 2015

We sat down with Martin Vaessen, former director of The DHS Program, to hear his thoughts about the past 30 years of The DHS Program. Martin is a demographer and survey specialist with more than 35 years of experience providing technical assistance in all phases of survey implementation in developing countries. He was instrumental in achieving the incorporation of HIV testing in the  Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), an innovation that led to a revision of the estimated number of people living with HIV from 40 million to 33 million in 2007.

 

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.

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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.