The Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) program is one of the world's largest sources of information on the health of women and children. This paper reports survey findings on the different dimensions of maternal health and nutrition and the multiple factors that influence the lives of women in over 30 developing countries in four regions of the world. The lives of women have changed in the past few decades. A women-centered approach expands the view of maternal health as strictly reproductive health but incorporates the social, cultural, economic and psychological factors that affect maternal health including access to health resources, interactions with the health care system and a woman's experiences of health and illness.
Over the years, DHS has documented positive changes in women's health and well-being in many countries. There has been evidence of increased educational attainment among women in all regions, fertility declines in sub-Saharan Africa; greater access to antenatal care and improved child survival. At the same time, women's lives have not improved in some countries in terms of early age of marriage, large unmet need for contraception, high infant mortality rates and poor nutritional status of women and children. This paper provides an update on the health and nutritional status of women from DHS surveys conducted between 1994 and 1999, including information on education, women's economic activities, reproductive health, nutrition, exposure to media, polygyny, breastfeeding and knowledge of AIDS.
See www.measuredhs.com/Learning Objectives: The participants and attendants in this session will gain knowledge of issues that are pertinent to women's health in developing countries. At the conclusion of the session, they should be able to understand the interplay between the social, cultural, economic and psychological factors that affect maternal health including access to health resources, interactions with the health care system and a woman's experiences of health and illness. Additionally, they should be able to recognize indicators important in women's health (education, women's economic activities, reproductive health, nutrition, exposure to media, polygyny, breastfeeding and knowledge of AIDS), and the differences between the countries and regions of the world with respect to these indicators.
Keywords: Maternal Health, Developing Countries
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: ORC Macro/DHS
USAID
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.