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The MEASURE DHS (Demographic and Health Surveys) Project has earned a worldwide reputation for collecting and disseminating accurate, nationally representative data on health and population in developing countries. The project is implemented by Macro International, Inc. and is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with contributions from other donors such as UNICEF, UNFPA, WHO, UNAIDS.
Since October 2003 Macro International has been partnering with four internationally experienced organizations to expand access to and use of the DHS data: The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs; Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH); Casals and Associates; and Jorge Scientific Corporation (JSC).
About MEASURE DHS[edit]
Since 1984, the MEASURE DHS Project has provided technical assistance to more than 200 demographic and health surveys in 75 countries advancing global understanding of health and population trends in developing countries. More specifically, the DHS surveys collect information on fertility and total fertility rate (TFR), reproductive health, maternal health, child health, Immunization and survival, HIV/AIDS; maternal mortality, child mortality, malaria, and nutrition among women and children stunted. The strategic objective of MEASURE DHS is to improve and institutionalize the collection and use of data by host countries for program monitoring and evaluation and for policy development decisions.
MEASURE DHS is one of four components of the “Monitoring and Evaluation to Assess and Use Results” (MEASURE) effort begun in 1997. The other three MEASURE partner projects are MEASURE Evaluation, MEASURE U.S. Census Bureau-SCILS, and MEASURE CDC/DRH in cooperation with the CDC.
Surveys[edit]
MEASURE DHS supports a range of data collection options that can be tailored to fit specific monitoring and evaluation needs of host countries. These include:
- Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS): provide data for a wide range of monitoring and impact evaluation indicators in the areas of population, health, and nutrition.
- AIDS Indicator Surveys (AIS): provide countries with a standardized tool to obtain indicators for the effective monitoring of national HIV/AIDS programs.
- Service Provision Assessment (SPA) Surveys: provide information about the characteristics of health and family planning services available in a country.
- Key Indicators Survey (KIS): provide monitoring and evaluation data for population and health activities in small areas—regions, districts, catchment areas—that may be targeted by an individual project, although they can be used in nationally representative surveys as well.
- Other Quantitative Surveys: include Biomarker Collection, Geographic Data Collection, and Benchmarking Surveys.
- Qualitative Research: provides informed answers to questions that lie outside the purview of standard quantitative approaches.
Data[edit]
MEASURE DHS works to put high-quality survey data into the hands of program managers, health care providers, policymakers, country leaders, researchers, members of the media, and others who can act to improve public health. MEASURE DHS is authorized to distribute at no cost, unrestricted survey data files for legitimate academic research.
Online databases include: STATcompiler, STATmapper, HIV/AIDS Indicators Database, HIVmapper, and Country QuickStats.
Publications[edit]
MEASURE DHS produces a wide variety of publications that provide country specific and comparative data on population, health, and nutrition in developing countries. Most publications are available online for download. If an electronic version of the publication is not available, a hard copy may be available at no cost.
Countries[edit]
The MEASURE DHS Project has been active in about 75 countries in Africa, Asia, Central Asia; West Asia; and Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. A list of the publications for each country is available on line at the Measure DHS web site.[1]
The MEASURE DHS Project has bee active in the following countries:
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Special Focus Topics[edit]
HIV/AIDS[edit]
 Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) | ||
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The Red ribbon is a symbol for solidarity with HIV-positive people and those living with AIDS. Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS or Aids) is a set of symptoms and infections resulting from the damage to the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This condition progressively reduces the effectiveness of the immune system and leaves individuals susceptible to opportunistic infections and tumors. |
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MEASURE DHS is contributing to the world’s understanding of the HIV pandemic. Since 2001 MEASURE DHS has helped more than 15 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America and Caribbean conduct population-based HIV testing. By collecting blood for HIV testing from representative samples of the population of men and women in a country, MEASURE DHS can provide nationally representative estimates of HIV rates. The MEASURE DHS testing protocol provides for anonymous, informed, and voluntary testing of women and men.
The project also collects data on internationally recognized AIDS indicators. Currently, the main sources of HIV/AIDS indicators in the database are the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), the Reproductive Health Surveys (RHS), the Sexual Behavior Surveys (SBS), and Behavioral Surveillance Surveys (BSS).[2] The database is designed to be global in scope, eventually covering all countries for which indicators are available. Finally, the project also collects data on the capacity of health care facilities to deliver HIV prevention and treatment services.
Malaria[edit]
More information is needed on this topic.
 Plasmodium falciparum (Malaria) | ||
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Malaria causes about 250 million cases of fever and approximately one million deaths annually. The vast majority of cases occur in children under the age of 5 years; pregnant women are also especially vulnerable. Despite efforts to reduce transmission and increase treatment, there has been little change in which areas are at risk of this disease since 1992. Indeed, if the prevalence of malaria stays on its present upwards course, the death rate could double in the next twenty years. Precise statistics are unknown because many cases occur in rural areas where people do not have access to hospitals or the means to afford health care. Consequently, the majority of cases are undocumented. |
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Gender[edit]
The MEASURE DHS program is a major source of gender data, research and training for integrating gender into population, health and nutrition programs and HIV/AIDS-related activities in the developing world. Gender is a fundamental dimension of societal stratification. MEASURE DHS underscores the importance of providing accurate and useful data on gender and emphasizes the need to identify and develop meaningful indicators of gender relations and women's empowerment.
Questions on gender roles and empowerment are integrated into most DHS questionnaires. For countries interested in more in-depth data on gender, modules of questions are available on special topics such as status of women, domestic violence, and female genital cutting.
Youth[edit]
MEASURE DHS has interviewed thousands of young people and gathered valuable information about their education, employment, media exposure, nutrition, sexual activity, fertility, unions, and general reproductive health, including HIV prevalence. The Youth Corner in the MEASURE DHS website presents findings about youth and features in-depth profiles of young adults ages 15-24 from more than 30 countries worldwide.[3] The Youth Corner is part of the broader effort by the Interagency Youth Working Group (IYWG) to help program managers, donors, national and local governments, teachers, religious leaders, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) plan and implement strong, relevant programs to improve the reproductive health of young adults.[4]
Geographic Information[edit]
Geographic location affects peoples’ health, nutrition, and access to health care services. The MEASURE DHS project can now analyze the impact of location using DHS data and geographic information systems (GIS). MEASURE DHS routinely collects geographic information in all surveyed countries. Using GIS, researchers can link DHS data with routine health data, health facility locations, local infrastructure such as roads and rivers, and environmental conditions.
MEASURE DHS is a recognized leader in training local interviewers to collect geographic information. The GPS data collection standards and manual prepared by MEASURE DHS are now being used for the World Bank’s Living Standards and Measurement studies and the World Health Organization’s World Health Surveys. UNICEF has also adapted the DHS manual for their Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys in the upcoming round of data collection.
Biomarkers[edit]
Now, using field-friendly technologies, MEASURE DHS is able to collect biomarker data relating to a wide range of conditions and infections. DHS surveys have tested for anemia (by measuring hemoglobin, HIV infection, sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis and the herpes simplex virus, serum retinol (Vitamin A), lead exposure, high blood pressure, and immunity from vaccine-preventable diseases like measles and tetanus. Traditionally, much of the data gathered in DHS surveys is self-reported. Biomarkers complement this information by providing an objective profile of a specific disease or health condition in a population. Biomarker data also contribute to the understanding of behavioral risk factors and determinants of different illnesses.