DHS6_Survey_Org_Manual_7Dec2012_DHSM10 ... - Measure DHS

detail in the DHS manual, Incorporating Geographic Information into Demographic and Health Surveys: a Field
Guide to GPS Data Collection.
A MEASURE DHS sampling expert usually visits a country to work with local DHS staff to
review the sample frame, design the sample, select the clusters, and train the household listing teams.
The sampling expert also provides spreadsheets for selecting households from the listing, and after
the fieldwork is over, helps compute sample weighting factors and sampling errors for selected
variables.
The basic approach of the DHS program is to collect data that are comparable across
countries. To achieve this, standard model questionnaires have been developed (see DHS Model
Household Questionnaire, DHS Model Woman’s Questionnaire, and DHS Model Man’s Questionnaire). These
model questionnaires—which have been reviewed and revised in each phase of the DHS program—
form the basis for the questionnaires which are applied in each country. Adoption of the model
questionnaire allows all the major indicators to be produced on a comparable basis across and within
countries.
DHS surveys are designed to collect data on fertility, family planning, reproductive health,
child health, nutrition, HIV/AIDS, and other topics (see Box 4). Due to the subject matter of the
survey, women of reproductive age (15-49) are the focus of the survey. Women eligible for an
individual interview are identified through the households selected for inclusion in the sample.
Consequently, all DHS surveys utilize a minimum of two questionnaires—a Household Questionnaire
and a Woman’s Questionnaire.
The DHS Model Household Questionnaire is used to list all the usual members and visitors in the
selected households. Some basic information is collected on the characteristics of each person listed,
including age, sex, education, and relationship to the head of the household. The main purpose of
the Household Questionnaire is to identify women (and men, if applicable) eligible for individual
interview, and children under age five years who are eligible to be weighed, measured and tested for
anemia. In addition, information is collected about the dwelling itself, such as the source of water,
type of toilet facilities, materials used to construct the house, ownership of various consumer goods,
use of iodized salt, and information about mosquito nets. The Household Questionnaire is also used
to measure the extent of orphanhood among children under age 18. If HIV testing is included in the
survey, results of the informed consent procedure are recorded on the Household Questionnaire.
12 | DHS Survey Organization Manual