DHS in the News

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.

May 20, 2021
Survey: 41% of unmarried women use family planning methods

Jarra Cham
THE POINT (Bakau, The Gambia)

"...The 2019-2020 Gambia Demographic and Health survey has revealed that 41% of sexually active unmarried women aged 15 to 49 years use a modern family planning method. [...] Among sexually active, unmarried women aged 15-49, 41% use a modern method of family planning. The most popular methods among sexually active, unmarried women are implants (20%), injectables (11%), the male condom, and the pill (5% each). Meanwhile, 1 in 5 married women aged 15-49 use any method of family planning; 17% use a modern method and 2% use a traditional method. The most popular methods, according to the survey, are injectables (8%), implants (6%) and the pill (2%)..."

https://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/national-news/survey-41-of-unmarried-women-use-family-planning-methods
Apr 06, 2021
Training young people to take the lead in eliminating gender-based violence in Mozambique

UNFPA (Manica, Mozambique)

"...According to the 2011 Demographic and Health Survey, more than one in three women in Mozambique (37 per cent) have experienced physical or sexual violence. Referring to these statistics, the Head of the Gender Department of the Provincial Directorate of Social Services in Manica Province, Tomas Junior, said that sexual and gender-based violence in Mozambique had reached alarming levels..."

https://esaro.unfpa.org/en/news/training-young-people-take-lead-eliminating-gender-based-violence-mozambique
Mar 27, 2021
OPINION: Tanzania President Samia Suluhu should allow all pregnant girls back to school

Alvin Mwangi Irungu
CITIZEN DIGITAL (Nairobi, Kenya)

"...The 2015-2016 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS) found that 1 in 4 women aged 15 to 19 are mothers. 40% of women of ages 15 to 49 have experienced physical violence, and almost 20 per cent have experienced sexual violence..."

https://citizentv.co.ke/blogs/opinion-tanzania-president-samia-suluhu-should-allow-all-pregnant-girls-back-to-school-8940622/
Mar 18, 2021
Did Covid-19 erode progress in fighting gender-based violence?

Violet Alinda
DAILY MONITOR (Kampala, Uganda)

"...In 2016, the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) showed that one in four (22 per cent) women aged 15 to 49 experienced sexual violence at some point..."

https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/oped/commentary/did-covid-19-erode-progress-in-fighting-gender-based-violence--3327200
Mar 08, 2021
Leading Global Organizations Invest in Community-Level Data to Advance Gender Equality

Rachael Mandell
CISION PR NEWSWIRE (Washington, DC, USA)

"...In collaboration with Facebook's Project 17, Fraym explored the use of the Facebook Survey on Gender Equality at Home and high-resolution population data to test the hypothesis that spatial gender disparities exist—and that they are not being captured by traditional data collection and analysis methods. To do this, Fraym analysts reviewed a database of over 100 spatially precise community level indicators produced from secondary data sources like the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) to identify the most comparable measure of food security that could be sex-disaggregated and selected child undernutrition to weight Facebook's national statistics on food security..."

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/leading-global-organizations-invest-in-community-level-data-to-advance-gender-equality-301241781.html