Survey Instruments

Nationally representative surveys collect a wealth of information on widely different topics in a specific country. MEASURE DHS supports a range of survey instruments that can be tailored to fit specific monitoring and evaluation needs of host countries.

On This Page

• Household and Individual Questionnaires
• Facility Questionnaires
• Biomarkers
• Anonymous HIV Testing
• Geographic Information

Household and Individual Questionnaires

Household and individual questionnaires comprise the core of the DHS and AIS surveys. The household questionnaire includes a household schedule, which is used to identify eligible men and women (based on age) for individual interviews and to obtain information on basic characteristics of the household and its members, as well as a section on care and support. Individual questionnaires include information on marriage, fertility, family planning, reproductive health, child health, and HIV/AIDS.

• Learn more about DHS Model Questionnaires
• Learn more about AIS Model Questionnaires

Facility Questionnaires

Facility surveys are used for SPA surveys and are conducted in health facilities and communities to obtain information about the health and family planning services available in a country.

Biomarkers

Biomarkers are objective biologic measures of health conditions. Through the collection and analysis of biological measurements, a more direct assessment of health status may be achieved for certain diseases, conditions, or risk factors. Traditionally, much of the data gathered in DHS surveys is self-reported. Biomarkers complement this information by providing an objective profile of a specific disease or health condition in a population. Biomarker data also contribute to the understanding of behavioral risk factors and determinants of different illnesses.

For years, DHS surveys have gathered data on height and weight to evaluate nutritional status of women and children. MEASURE DHS has extensive experience using Hemocue for anemia testing in over 15 countries. Recently, MEASURE DHS has begun to include the collection of biomarkers to assess the prevalence of infectious diseases including HIV, syphilis, and chlamydia. Biomarker data for non-communicable diseases have been collected, including hypertension (blood pressure), diabetes (glycosylated hemoglobin), and cardiovascular disorders (cholesterol, high-density lipoproteins, low-density lipoproteins). In addition, biomarkers for vitamin A and lead have been collected in some surveys.

Protocols for the collection of specimens in the DHS have been developed for dried blood spots, blood serum/plasma, and vaginal swabs. International standards have been adapted for specimen collection, measurement, laboratory analysis, quality control, safety, and analysis of data.

• Learn more about Biomarker collection

Anonymous HIV Testing

In some DHS and AIS surveys, MEASURE DHS conducts population-based HIV testing. By collecting blood for HIV testing from representative samples of the population of men and women in a country, MEASURE DHS can provide nationally representative estimates of HIV rates.

The linkage of DHS HIV test results to the full DHS survey record (without personal identifiers) allows for an in-depth analysis of the sociodemographic and behavioral factors associated with HIV infection. Datasets showing test results and variables to link them to other findings from the DHS or AIS are available for research and study.

The DHS HIV testing protocol provides for informed, anonymous, and voluntary testing of women and men in the reproductive ages. The testing protocol undergoes a host country ethical review. The testing is simple; blood spots are collected on filter paper from a finger prick and transported to a laboratory for testing. The laboratory protocol includes an initial ELISA test, and then retesting of all positive tests and 10 percent of the negative tests with a second ELISA. For those tests with discordant results on the two ELISA tests, a Western blot test is performed.

Since the testing is anonymous, survey respondents cannot be provided with their results. However, all respondents are offered referrals for free voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) and AIDS educational materials. In some countries, mobile VCT teams follow-up after interviewers to counsel and test willing DHS respondents.

• Learn more about HIV Prevalence Testing

Geographic Information

The MEASURE DHS project routinely collects geographic information in all countries. Using geographical data, researchers can link DHS data with routine health data, health facility locations, local infrastructure (roads, rivers), and environmental conditions.  All survey data is presented both nationally and by sub-national reporting area. These reporting areas are often, but not always, provinces or groups of provinces, and are included in all recoded data files.

The DHS surveys collect geographic locations in the form of latitude and longitude coordinates for the communities where DHS respondents live. One latitude/longitude coordinate is collected for each community in the DHS survey. This set of point locations can then be linked to all of the household and individual-level attributes contained in the full DHS dataset. Within a Geographic Information System, other datasets such as road networks and land cover can be analyzed simultaneously.

• Learn more about Geographic Information collection