The DHS Program

Calverton, MD - The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Mali recently released the final report for the 2006 Mali Demographic and Health Survey (EDSM-IV) in Bamako. The EDSM-IV interviewed 14,000 women ages 15 to 49 and 4,000 men ages 15 to 59. More than 8,500 of these adults were also tested for HIV.

Calverton, MD - Young adults' reproductive health is steadily improving in Ethiopia, but there is still much room for improvement, according to a new report released by the David and Lucille Packard Foundation. Young men and women are waiting longer before having sex and getting married. According to the report, sexual activity among young men has dropped dramatically since 2000, when 44 percent had ever had sexual intercourse.

Calverton, Maryland - Across the developing world, women's knowledge of modern family planning methods is high, and use of modern methods is increasing, according to a new report analyzing data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS). Contraceptive Trends in Developing Countries reviews recent survey results from 35 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. The report's findings verify that investments in family planning programs over the past decades have paid off and continue to help women and their families around the world.

Calverton, MD - Health care initiatives throughout the developing world should make greater efforts to reach the world's poor, suggests a new series of reports highlighting health inequalities in 56 low-income and middle-income countries. Worldwide, the health of the poor is notably worse than that of the better-off. On average, the poorest suffer under-five mortality and malnutrition rates that are about twice as much as the best-off.

Calverton, Maryland - One out of five children in Angola has malaria, according to the 2006-07 Angola Malaria Indicator Survey (AMIS 2006-07). In addition, 14 percent of pregnant women tested positive for malaria. Earlier today, the Ministry of Health released the AMIS final report in a ceremony in Luanda. The nationally representative survey is based on interviews with over 2,500 households and close to 3,000 women ages 15 to 49.