An Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices indicator has been devised to capture the complementary feeding practices of children ages 6-23 months. The age window when most children falter in growth is 6-23 months, mainly due to poor complementary feeding practices.  USAID, WHO, and UNICEF support the use of this indicator to gather dietary information about this vulnerable age group.

This working paper examines men's condom use at last higher-risk sex (i.e., nonmarital, noncohabiting partner) in five sub-Saharan countries: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia. The two most recent DHS surveys in each country are analyzed to show trends in various indicators

Many countries in East and South Asia demonstrate a strong cultural preference for sons. The authors examine the influence of family size and composition on reproductive behavior in three South Asian countries-Nepal, India, and Bangladesh-that are known for strong son preference.  Data from recent Demographic and Health Surveys were analyzed to determine whether the choice of contraceptive method adopted (modern versus traditional; temporary versus permanent) and desire for another child differ by parity and sex composition of surviving children.

Political and public health luminaries attended the release of the Angola Malaria Indicator Survey in Luanda on February 18, 2008.  The WHO Director General Dr. Margaret Chan, Angola’s Minister of Health and two Vice-Ministers of Health, US Ambassador Dan Mozena and USAID Mission Director Dr. Susan Brems came to hear the results of Angola’s ground-breaking national malaria survey, the first with national prevalence figures in the country’s history.  Survey results showed that 20 percent of children under 5 and 14 percent of pregnant women had active malarial infections.   Angola is one of the first countries to participate in the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI).

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Free copies of the report can be downloaded at http://www.measuredhs.com/pubs/pub_details.cfm?id=743.

Nepal Trend Report: Trends in Demographic and Reproductive Health Indicators in Nepal: Further Analysis of the 1996, 2001, and 2006 Demographic and Health Surveys Data by Anjushree Pradhan and Prakash Dev Pant, New ERA, Kathmandu, Nepal and Pav Govindasamy, Macro International Inc., Calverton, Maryland USA.