Data Tabulation Plan

The Data Tabulation Plan provides model tables that set forth the major findings of a survey in a manner that will be useful to policy makers and program managers.  It also helps provide guidance concerning the most important indicators that should be presented in the survey report, the level of analysis expected, and ensures timely dissemination of survey results. Each type of survey conducted by MEASURE DHS (DHS, AIS, SPA), has an associated Data Tabulation Plan.

The data are presented in terms of national level statistics and for population subgroups such as those defined by age, education, marital status, economic status, urban/rural residence and region of the country.  When appropriate to a topic, further data disaggregation are shown.  For example, on the topic of HIV knowledge and behavior in the DHS surveys, detailed tabulations are shown for younger respondents age 15 to 24, and on the topic of gender roles, health outcomes are shown by indices of women’s status.

On This Page

• DHS Tabulation Plan
• AIS Tabulation Plan
• SPA Tabulation Plan

Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Tabulation Plan

DHS surveys are nationally representative population-based surveys with large sample sizes (usually between 5,000 and 30,000 households). In all households, women age 15-49 are eligible to participate; in many surveys men age 15-54(59) from a sub-sample are also eligible to participate.

The DHS Tabulation Plan complements the 2005 versions of the DHS Model Survey Questionnaires.  Those survey instruments are substantially longer than previous model DHS Questionnaires, primarily because they incorporate topics formerly addressed in separate modules—topics such as to malaria, HIV prevalence, information on orphans and vulnerable children, and support for chronically ill household members. 

The DHS Tabulation Plan consists of over 175 tables contained in 16 substantive chapters. These chapters provide information on the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the population, levels of fertility and childhood mortality, family planning, women’s status, malaria, orphanhood, chronically ill household members and HIV/AIDS, to name some of the main topics. While the tables in the final survey report are not designed to provide complex analysis due to various constraints, it indicates areas where more detailed, complex analysis would be fruitful.

Main Topics in the DHS Tabulation Plan:

• The demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the population:
  Information on this topic is provided in Chapters 1, 2, and 3. Chapter 1 is introductory and presents the background of the survey, its objectives, and a brief summary of the survey procedures, sample design and response rates.  Chapters 2 and 3 are intended to set the stage for the population and health chapters that follow. Chapter 2 describes the background characteristics of the household population, and their dwelling conditions. Chapter 3 contains tables describing eligible respondents and indicators of women’s status and their situation.
• Levels of fertility and fertility trends:
  The current and past fertility of the population are presented on Chapter 4. This chapter also includes information on fertility trends as well as on the beginning of a woman's childbearing, with tabulations on age at first birth and current teenage fertility behavior.
• Family planning:
  Chapter 5 reports data on family planning, including knowledge of contraception, source of supply, acceptability, use, attitudes toward contraception, intention to use in the future, reasons for nonuse, informed choice, exposure to media messages about family planning, and a variety of related topics.
• Other proximate determinants of fertility and fertility preferences:
  Factors other than contraception that regulate the level of fertility are presented in Chapter 6. This chapter includes marriage patterns, sexual activity, postpartum insusceptibility, and menopause. Chapter 7 covers fertility preferences and documents respondents’ ideal number of children, and the unmet need for contraception
• Infant and child mortality:
  Information on the current and past levels of infant and child mortality as well as differentials in mortality due to demographic and background characteristics is presented in Chapter 8. This chapter also includes information on perinatal mortality and the extra risk incurred by certain reproductive behaviors.
• Reproductive health and general women’s health:
  Chapter 9 covers reproductive health and women’s health in general. The chapter describes maternal care during pregnancy and delivery, and postnatal care, as well as general access to health services, use of tobacco products, exposure to injections and knowledge and attitudes concerning tuberculosis
• Child health:
  Child health consists of many aspects including birth weight and size, immunization and the extent and the prevalence and treatment of important childhood diseases (diarrhea, acute respiratory infection, and fever). This information is presented in Chapter 10.
• Nutrition of women and children:
  Chapter 11 covers nutritional concerns for children and for women including nutritional status, breastfeeding and complementary foods, food diversity, and micronutrients.
• Malaria:
  Information on malaria is reported in surveys where malaria-related questions have been asked in the household and individual questionnaires. Chapter 12 presents this information. This chapter describes the availability and use of mosquito nets by women and children and the prophylactic and treatment use of antimalarial drugs.
• HIV/AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes, and behavior, and HIV   Prevalence:
  Chapter 13 covers information on knowledge and behavior concerning HIV/AIDS and STIs and the use of condoms.  This chapter covers a number of HIV/AIDS important indicators for monitoring and evaluating HIV/AIDS prevention programs. These tables are based on multi-organization agreements and internationally accepted indicators and should only be modified where necessary to take into account insufficient numbers of cases for presenting results. In many DHS surveys, HIV testing is performed on eligible respondents (women and men of reproductive age) at the household level. Chapter 14 presents the results based on respondent’s who received the test.  The chapter reports the response rate of testing and presents the HIV prevalence rates.
• Women’s empowerment:
  Chapter 15 shows information on indicators of women’s empowerment, develops three empowerment indices, and relates those indices to select demographic and health outcomes.
• Orphans and vulnerable children, care and support:
  Chapter 16 is used where the questionnaires included the questions from the orphans and vulnerable children’s (OVC) and Care and Support modules. The chapter covers the prevalence of orphanhood and vulnerability, describes selected situational aspects of OVC and care and support received by households with OVC and chronically ill members.

Click here to download the DHS Tabulation Plan

AIDS Indicator Surveys (AIS) Tabulation Plan

The Tabulation Plan of the AIS surveys consists of 83 tables that provide information on important indicators for effective monitoring of national HIV/AIDS programs.

Main Topics in the AIS Tabulation Plan:

• The demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the population:
  Chapters 1, 2, and 3 provide extensive information on the demographic and socioeconomic background characteristics of the population. Chapter 1 presents the background of the survey, a brief summary of the survey procedures, sample design and response rates. Chapter 2 describes the background characteristics of the household population, and their dwelling conditions. Chapter 3 describes the background characteristics of the eligible respondents.
• HIV/AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes, and behavior:
  Chapters 4, 5, and 6 cover extensive information on knowledge, attitudes and behavior concerning HIV/AIDS. These chapters cover a number of HIV/AIDS important indicators for monitoring and evaluating HIV/AIDS prevention programs. Tables in these chapters are based on multi-organization agreements and internationally accepted indicators.
• Youth and HIV/AIDS:
  Information on HIV/AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes and behavior among youth age 15-24 is very important for national HIV/AIDS programs. This information is presented in Chapter 7.
• Orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), care and support:
  Chapter 8 provides information on the prevalence of orphanhood and vulnerability of children, describes selected situational aspects of OVC and care and support received by households with OVC and chronically ill members.

Service Provision Assessments (SPA) Tabulation Plan

There are two types of SPA surveys: the Maternal and Child Health SPA (also called SPA Core) and the HIV/AIDS SPA. The Tabulation Plan for both these surveys consists of a number of tables that provide a comprehensive assessment of a country’s health care services.

Main Topics in the SPA Tabulation Plan:

• Costs of health services
• Availability of services
• Infrastructure
• Quality of care
• Components of care
• Data for Improvement