DHS in the News - COVID-19

Journalists worldwide write about The DHS Program results. The dissemination of DHS, SPA and HIV data is often widely covered by media in survey countries, but journalists also use The DHS Program data throughout the year as background information for their stories, or to compare health and development indicators across countries. These data are also used by journalists in the United States and other developed countries, as it is considered the gold standard of population, health and nutrition data. Below are some examples of recent news coverage. Please note: The links below are to websites outside The DHS Program.

Jan 30, 2021
Covid-19: Government should ban use of shisha in Ghana

Albert Allotey
GHANA NEWS AGENCY (Accra, Ghana)

"...The document said this would reduce tobacco use among the youth because they were sensitive to high prices of tobacco products. It said cigarettes remained the commonest form of tobacco use, pipe smoking (shisha), chew, sniffing, smokeless tobacco and ‘tawa’ use among other forms by Ghanaians and that the most recent Demographic and Health Survey in 2014 reports the prevalence of cigarette smoking among males to be 4.8 per cent and females 0.1 per cent..."

https://www.gna.org.gh/1.19744386
Jan 28, 2021
Female Genital Cutting Is on the Rise During COVID in Kenya

Neha Wadekar
VICE (Laisamis, Kenya)

"...According to Kenya’s 2014 Demographic and Health Survey, approximately 92 percent of women and 88 percent of men aged 15-49 believe FGC should be stopped..."

https://www.vice.com/en/article/xgzm83/female-genital-cutting-is-on-the-rise-during-covid-in-kenya
Jan 24, 2021
Impact of the covid 19 pandemic on gender equality

Nuzhat Ahmad
DAILY TIMES (Karachi, Pakistan)

"...The 2017-2018 Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey reports that 28 % of women aged 15-49 years have experienced physical violence, and 34% of married and divorced women have suffered through physical, sexual or emotional spousal violence..."

https://dailytimes.com.pk/716351/impact-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-on-gender-equality/
Jan 17, 2021
Covid-19 vaccine will not be a magic bullet for the ailing healthcare system

Robert Shivambu
MAIL & GUARDIAN (South Africa)

"...According to the South Africa Demographic and Health Survey report of 2016, compiled by Statistics South Africa and the South African Medical Research Council, about one in six South Africans aged fifteen-plus was covered by medical aid or another medical benefit scheme or hospital plan. White South Africans were far more likely to be covered by health insurance than other population groups (74% of white women and 77% of white men, compared with less than half among all other groups). It also noted that health insurance coverage was most common among those with more than secondary education (53% of women and 50% of men) and those from the wealthiest households (47% of women and 50% of men)..."

https://mg.co.za/opinion/2021-01-17-covid-19-vaccine-will-not-be-a-magic-bullet-for-the-ailing-healthcare-system/
Jan 13, 2021
Breaking the silence that led to a high teenage pregnancy rate in a Kenyan county

UNPA (Kilifi County, Kenya)

"...A lack of knowledge about sexual health and family planning pervades Kilifi County’s conservative culture. The silence has led to one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in Kenya, at 22 per cent, compared to the national average of 18 per cent, according to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS, 2014)..."

https://esaro.unfpa.org/en/news/breaking-silence-led-high-teenage-pregnancy-rate-kenyan-county