Research
Publications
The Kintampo Health and Demographic Surveillance System (KHDSS) conducted a 10-year vitamin A study which recruited about 200,000 female adolescents age 10 to 15. Using quantitative data on family planning from the KHDSS, together with qualitative data from focus group discussions and in-depth interviews, this study sought to identify the family planning needs of adolescent girls in the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana and define the best approach to meeting their needs.
Estimating Expenditure-Based Poverty from the Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey
This paper presents a simple poverty scorecard for Bangladesh that allows researchers to estimate the likelihood that expenditure is below a given poverty line using ten verifiable, inexpensive-to-collect indicators found in both Bangladesh’s 2004 Demographic Health Survey and also in the 2005 Household Income and Expenditure Survey.
Influence of the Service Delivery Environment on Family Planning Outcomes in Nigeria
Using linked data from the 2009 Community Participation for Action in the Social Sectors (COMPASS) project household and health facility surveys, this paper examines the association of the family planning service delivery environment with contraceptive outcomes among males and females in five Nigerian states.
Despite the pervasiveness of child marriage and its potentially adverse consequences on reproductive health outcomes, there is relatively little empirical evidence available on this issue. This study assesses the influence of child marriage on fertility, fertility-control, and maternal health care utilization in four South Asian countries - India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan - after controlling for other individual-, household-, and community-level factors.
This paper assesses the predictive validity of using Demographic and Health Survey data to assign expenditures-based poverty rankings to households and individuals, using countries for which there are contemporaneous expenditures surveys and a DHS.
This study examines the associations between the use of maternal health care (antenatal and postnatal care) and postpartum modern contraceptives. Using data come from the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys in Kenya and Zambia, it highlights a window of opportunity to promote the use of modern contraceptives after childbirth through antenatal care service delivery.
Contraceptive discontinuation contributes to unplanned pregnancy and unwanted births, as well as increased maternal, neonatal and infant morbidity and mortality. Information on differences between women who stop using contraceptives and those who switch to another method would be useful for programs aimed at preventing unplanned pregnancies and their consequences.
Contraceptive Discontinuation among Honduran Women Who Use Reversible Methods
This panel study that was undertaken in four urban areas of Honduras examines the effects of women's individual characteristics, side effects experienced, and service quality on their contraceptive discontinuation.
Women’s Empowerment and Choice of Contraceptive Methods in Selected African Countries
This study examines the associations between women’s empowerment and contraceptive use in selected African countries. The hypothesis is tested that, compared to women who are not powered, those who are empowered will be more likely to use contraceptives that are female controlled, as well as couple methods that require the awareness and support of their husbands.
This study applies new approaches proposed by MEASURE Evaluation to classify wealth using nationally-representative surveys, such as the Demographic and Health Surveys. These approaches are particularly important in cases where identifying and targeting services to the urban poor are of interest.
The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the expansion of the role of private providers in the provision of modern contraceptive supplies is associated with increased horizontal inequity in modern contraceptive use. The study is based on multiple rounds of Demographic and Health Survey data from four selected countries (Nigeria, Uganda, Bangladesh, and Indonesia) in which there was an increase in the private sector supply of contraceptives.
BEST Country Fact Sheets
These BEST Country Fact Sheets summarize a few findings from secondary analyses of select Demographic Health Surveys. Separate wealth classifications for urban and rural women were constructed to examine inequalities in key population and reproductive health indicators, including family planning and antenatal care. The analyses demonstrate that disaggregating relative wealth by place of residence may reveal patterns obscured by national trends and the importance of examining multiple indicators.
