The principal objective of the Republic of the Marshall Islands 2007 Demographic and Health Survey (2007 RMIDHS) is to provide current and reliable data on fertility and family planning behavior, child mortality, adult and maternal mortality, children’s nutritional status, the utilization of maternal and child health services, and knowledge of HIV and AIDS. The specific objectives of the survey are to:
• collect data at the national level that will allow the calculation of key demographic rates;
• analyze the direct and indirect factors that determine the level and trends of fertility;
• measure the level of contraceptive knowledge and practice among women and men by method, urban/rural residence, and region;
• collect high-quality data on family health, including immunization coverage among children, prevalence and treatment of diarrhea and other diseases among children under five, and maternity care indicators (including antenatal visits, assistance at delivery, and postnatal care);
• collect data on infant and child mortality;
• obtain data on child feeding practices, including breastfeeding, and collect ‘observation’ information to use in assessing the nutritional status of women and children;
• collect data on knowledge and attitudes of women and men about sexually transmitted infections (STIs), HIV and AIDS and evaluate patterns of recent behavior regarding condom use; and
• collect data on support to mentally ill persons and information on the incidence of suicide.
This information is essential for informed policy decisions, planning, monitoring, and evaluation of programs on health in general and reproductive health in particular at both national level and in urban and rural areas. A long-term objective of the survey is to strengthen the technical capacity of government organizations to plan, conduct, process, and analyze data from complex national population and health surveys. Moreover, the 2007 RMIDHS provides national, rural, and urban estimates on population and health that are comparable to data collected in similar surveys in other Pacific DHS pilot countries and other developing countries.
The 2007 Republic of Marshall Islands Demographic and Health Survey covered the following topics:
HOUSEHOLD LEVEL
- Household identification
- Household schedule/ demographic characteristic
- Household characteristics
- Malnutrition examination for children age 0-5
- Mental health
WOMEN
- Respondent background
- Reproduction
- Contraception
- Pregnancy and post-natal care
- Child immunization
- Marriage and sexual activity
- Fertility preferences
- Husband's background and woman's work
- HIV/AIDS
- Other health issues
- Domestic violence
MEN
- Respondent background
- Reproduction
- Contraception
- Marriage and sexual activity
- Fertility preferences
- Employment and gender roles
- HIV/AIDS
- Other health issues
- Collection start: 2007
- Collection end: 2007
