The principal objective of the SIDHS was to provide current and reliable data on fertility and family planning behaviour, child mortality, adult and maternal mortality, children’s nutritional status, the use of maternal and child health services, and knowledge of HIV and AIDS. Specific survey objectives were to:
- collect data at the national level, which will allow the calculation of key demographic rates;
- analyse 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 immunisation coverage among children, prevalence and treatment of diarrhoea and other diseases among children under 5 years, 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 and HIV and AIDS, and evaluate patterns of recent behaviour regarding condom use; and
- collect data on support to mentally ill people as well as information on the incidence of suicides.
This information is essential for informed policy decisions, planning, monitoring, and evaluating programmes on health in general, and reproductive health in particular, at both the national level as well as in urban and rural areas. A long-term objective of the survey is to strengthen the technical capacity of government organisations to plan, conduct, process, and analyse data from complex national population and health surveys. Moreover, the 2006/2007 SIDHS provides national, rural and urban estimates on population and health that are comparable with data collected in similar surveys in other Pacific DHS pilot countries and other developing countries.
The 2006-2007 Solomon Islands Demographic and Health Survey covered the following topics:
HOUSEHOLD
- Household identification
- Household schedule/ demographic characteristic
- Household characteristics
- Weight, height and hemoglobin measurement for children age 0-5
- Weight, height, blood pressure, and hemoglobin measurment for women age 15-49
- Weight, height, blood pressure, and hemoglobin measurment for men age 15 or over
WOMEN
- Respondent background
- Reproduction
- Contraception
- Pregnancy and post-natal care
- Child immunization and health and child's and woman's nutrition
- Marriage and sexual activity
- Fertility preferences
- Husband's background and woman's work
- HIV/AIDS
- Other health issues
MEN
- Respondent background
- Reproduction
- Contraception
- Marriage and sexual activity
- Fertility preferences
- Employment and gender roles
- HIV/AIDS
- Collection start: 2006
- Collection end: 2007
