Journal Articles
Search our database of 1000's of peer-reviewed journal articles that feature DHS data.
Featured Studies
Featured research topics go beyond a single research paper and often include multiple publications and user-friendly summaries and dissemination materials.
The DHS Fellows Program
Researchers in DHS countries work with DHS analysts to design, analyze, and write a publishable paper.
DHS Analysis Blogs
Read more about our recent research, innovative methods, and success stories.
Research and Further Analysis
The DHS Program's in-house Research and Analysis team conducts rigorous, timely, and innovative mixed-methods research on topics related to global public health, demography, and social epidemiology. Our team also trains, mentors, and closely collaborates with fellow researchers and stakeholders who are driven to utilize DHS Program surveys and other survey data to inform programs and policies in various countries and contexts.
Visit the publications search for a full list of publications. Also, go to the journal articles search for a full list of published journal artilcles that feature The DHS Program data.
DHS Research Reports
Jul 2021
Comparing Ideal and Completed Family Size: A Focus on Women in Low-and Middle-Income Countries with Unrealized FertilityThe study of fertility preferences in relation to the number of children is important for understanding the factors that contribute to fertility levels.
Topics: Fertility and Fertility Preferences, Wealth/Socioeconomics
Sep 2020
Household Wealth Relative to Community Wealth: Associations with Specific Asset Ownership and Maternal and Child Health IndicatorsThis report describes inequalities in asset ownership and maternal and child health indicator coverage in 11 countries, using the most recent Demographic and Health surveys from each country.
Topics: Child Health and Development, Maternal Health, Wealth/Socioeconomics
Sep 2020
Typologies and Trajectories: A Descriptive Study of Men's Reproductive Life CourseThere is little research on the implications of family formation patterns for individual outcomes and life course trajectories of men.
Topics: Gender
Sep 2020
Data Quality in Demographic and Health Surveys That Used Long and Short QuestionnairesSince the first phase of The DHS Program in 1984, DHS surveys have increased in scope and complexity as questionnaires are lengthened and survey modules are added.
Topics: --
Sep 2020
Geospatial Covariates: Proxies for Mapping Urban-Related IndicatorsThe enumeration areas selected by The DHS Program are classified as either rural or urban.
Topics: Geographic Information
Aug 2020
The Sensitivity of Anthropometric Estimates to Errors in the Measurement of Height, Weight, and Age for Children Under Five in Population-Based SurveysHeight-for-age (HAZ), weight-for-age (WAZ), and weight-for-height (WHZ) scores for under-5 children are based on a transformation of height, weight, and age into three pairs of bivariate relationships.
Topics: Anthropometry/Biomarkers
Aug 2020
Multilevel Modeling Using DHS Surveys: A Framework to Approximate Level-WeightsThis report responds to the demand from The Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program data users for sampling weights that correspond to each stage of sampling in DHS surveys.
Topics: Survey Methodology, Data Quality, Analysis
Aug 2020
Proposal of a Quality of Care Index (QOCI)As the use of health facilities along the continuum of care for women and children increases, focus must turn toward the provision of effective, high-quality care across services to end preventable maternal and child death.
Topics: --
Aug 2020
Variations in Health Outcomes with Alternative Measures of Urbanicity, Using Demographic and Health Surveys 2013-18The literature has firmly established the link between urban/rural place of residence and health indicators, and the association of poor health outcomes and health services in rural areas.
Topics: Child Health and Development, Family Planning, Geographic Information, Maternal Health, Nutrition, Wealth/Socioeconomics
Aug 2020
Contraceptive Use, Method Mix, and Method Availability: A Multilevel AnalysisAccess to a range of contraceptives affords women greater opportunity to find a method that meets their unique reproductive needs, possibly leading to greater diversity in the method mix and increased contraceptive use at population levels.
Topics: Family Planning, Health facilities/SPA surveys