| Abstract |
The 2000 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) is the first of its kind to be conducted in the country. The survey was conducted by the Central Statistical Authority (CSA) under the aegis of the Ministry of Health and funded primarily by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The principal objective of the Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) is to provide current and reliable data on fertility and family planning behavior, child mortality, children’s nutritional status, the utilization of maternal and child health services, and knowledge of HIV/AIDS. This information is essential for informed policy decisions, planning, monitoring, and evaluation of programs on health in general and reproductive health in particular at both the national and regional levels. A long-term objective of the survey is to strengthen the technical capacity of the Central Statistical Authority to plan, conduct, process, and analyze data from complex national population and health surveys. Moreover, the 2000 Ethiopia DHS is the first survey of its kind in the country to provide national and regional estimates on population and health that are comparable to data collected in similar surveys in other developing countries. As part of the worldwide DHS project, the Ethiopia DHS data add to the vast and growing international database on demographic and health variables. The Ethiopia DHS collected demographic and health information from a nationally representative sample of women and men in the reproductive age groups 15-49 and 15-59, respectively.
The Ethiopia DHS was carried out under the aegis of the Ministry of Health and was implemented by the Central Statistical Authority. ORC Macro provided technical assistance through its MEASURE DHS+ project. The survey was principally funded by the Essential Services for Health in Ethiopia (ESHE) project through a bilateral agreement between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Funding was also provided by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). |
| Description |
The 2000 Ethiopia DHS collected demographic and health information from a nationally representative sample of women and men in the reproductive age groups 15-49 and 15-59, respectively. The survey was fielded between February and May 2000. Of the 14,642 households selected, interviews were completed for 14,072 households, 15,367 women age 15-49, and 2,607 men aged 15-59.
The Ethiopia DHS used three questionnaires: the household questionnaire, the women’s questionnaire, and the men’s questionnaire. All usual members in a selected household and visitors who stayed there the previous night were enumerated using the Household Questionnaire. Specifically, the household questionnaire obtained information on the relationship to the head of the household, residence, sex, age, marital status, parental survivorship, and education of each usual resident or visitor. This information was used to identify women and men who were eligible for the individual interview. Women age 15-49 in all selected households and all men age 15-59 in every fifth selected household, whether usual residents or visitors, were deemed eligible, and were interviewed. The household questionnaire also obtained information on some basic socioeconomic indicators such as the number of rooms, the flooring material, the source of water, the type of toilet facilities, and the ownership of a variety of durable items. Information was also obtained on the use of impregnated bed nets, and the salt used in each household was tested for its iodine content. All eligible women and all children born since Meskerem 1987 in the Ethiopian Calendar, which roughly corresponds to September 1994 in the Gregorian calendar, were weighed and measured.
The Women’s Questionnaire collected information on female respondent’s background characteristics, reproductive history, contraceptive knowledge, and use, antenatal, delivery and postnatal care, infant feeding practices, child immunization and health, marriage, fertility preferences, and attitudes about family planning, husband’s background characteristics and women’s work, knowledge of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). In addition to that, The men’s questionnaire also collected information on the male respondent’s background characteristics, reproduction, contraceptive knowledge and use, marriage, fertility preferences and attitudes about family planning, and knowledge of HIV/AIDS and STIs.
These questionnaires were developed in the English language and translated into the five principal languages in use in the country—Amarigna, Oromigna, Tigrigna, Somalia, and Afarigna. Apparently, a four-week training course was held for interviewers, editors, and supervisors in general interviewing techniques, field procedures, and monitoring data quality. Data were collected by 38 teams, each comprised of four female interviewers, one male interviewer, one female editor, and a male team supervisor. The fieldwork was closely monitored for data quality through actual field visits and through field check tables. Generally, the primary purpose of the 200 Ethiopia DHS is to furnish policymakers and planners with detailed information on fertility, family planning, infant and child mortality, maternal and child health, and nutrition. |
