DHS in the News
Journalists worldwide write about The DHS Program results. The dissemination of DHS, SPA and HIV data is often widely covered by media in survey countries, but journalists also use The DHS Program data throughout the year as background information for their stories, or to compare health and development indicators across countries. These data are also used by journalists in the United States and other developed countries, as it is considered the gold standard of population, health and nutrition data. Below are some examples of recent news coverage. Please note: The links below are to websites outside The DHS Program.
|
Nov 25, 2015
Four children are enough THE NATION (LILONGWE, MALAWI) "...According to the 2010 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey (MDHS 2010), Malawi's fertility rate stands at 5.7 children per woman, which is higher than the wanted fertility rate of 4.5 children per woman while the annual growth rate stands at 2.8%..." |
|
Nov 24, 2015
USAID celebrates progress on maternal and child survival in Rwanda "...The recently released results of the 2014-2015 Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey confirm that Rwanda has surpassed its targets for Millennium Development Goals 4 (reduce child mortality) and 5 (improve maternal health). Between 1990 and 2015, the country reduced the under-five child mortality rate by two-thirds and achieved an extraordinary 85% decline in maternal mortality. This significant progress is the result of the Government of Rwanda’s commitment and partnership with donors like USAID to increase the availability and quality of services that support maternal, newborn, and child health. Despite this impressive progress , however, maternal and child health remains a major national concern..." |
|
Nov 23, 2015
The last mile HUMA KHAWAR "...Pakistan has the largest birth cohort (4.6 million) of all countries in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region. Despite a slow decline in the past 10 years, the under-five mortality in Pakistan is still very high and immunisation coverage considerably low. The last Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS 2012-13) demonstrates that only half of the children are fully immunised in Pakistan. The number varies considerably across geographic, social and cultural boundaries and there are marked variations in immunisation coverage across provinces and districts, and gender, which is alarming. For instance, the 2012-13 PDHS shows that the proportion of fully immunised children in Sindh and Balochistan has dropped since 2006-07, from 37 to 29 per cent and 35 to 16 per cent, respectively. It is startling to see that around one-fifth of infants and children in rural Balochistan did not receive any vaccination (PDHS 2012-13). However, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab have shown slow but steady progress..." |
|
Nov 19, 2015
Without toilets childrens lives and dignity at stake in Ghana UNICEF/AFRICAN PRESS ORGANIZATION (NEW YORK, USA) "Twenty-one percent of Ghanaians have no access to a toilet and still use the bush or open field for defecation. This is worse in rural areas where 34 percent of the population still practise open defecation. Meanwhile, according to the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey 2014, among Ghanaian children under the age five, 19 percent were stunted (short for their age), five percent were wasted (thin for their height), and 11 percent were underweight (thin for their age). Stunting is a sign of chronic malnutrition, potentially causing reduced intelligence and associated opportunities for life..." http://www.africa-newsroom.com/press/without-toilets-childrens-lives-and-dignity-at-stake-in-ghana?lang=en |
|
Nov 16, 2015
Improving family planning uptake in Ghana GRAPHIC ONLINE (ACCRA, GHANA) "...On the other hand, while TFR declined from 6.4 in 1988 to 4.0 in 2008, preliminary results from the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) report indicate that TFR has increased over the last six years to 4.2. Use of FP methods has been less than desired, despite the almost universal knowledge and awareness. Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) for modern methods has fluctuated from 19 per cent in 2003, decreasing to 17 per cent in 2008 and increasing to 22 per cent in 2014, an indication that even after a decade, still less than a quarter of married women are current users of modern contraception in Ghana. Yet, 30 per cent of married women in Ghana have an unmet need for family planning..." |