Policy and programmatic use of DHS data : a tool for family planning program managers and analysts

This manual provides guidance in the use of DHS data to enhance family planning program design and evaluation. After an introductory overview of the possible uses of DHS data, three individually authored chapters are presented. The first describes a methodology for determining an appropriate contraceptive method mix for a country program, based on the desires and needs of women as revealed by DHS data. The second identifies barriers to the use of appropriate contraceptive methods; it examines women"s contraceptive behavior in terms of their stated fertility intentions, awareness of appropriate methods and of sources of supply, experience with certain methods, and perceived problems with methods. The third addresses the issue of family planning source mix in terms of the level of complexity of outlets (hospitals, clinical, nonclinical) and the sector to which they belong (public, NGO, commercial). Approaches are provided to estimate the mix of outlets needed, considering such factors as consumer buying preference and willingness and ability to pay. Each chapter includes step-by-step instructions for carrying out the analysis, and an illustration of the analysis with an example for a selected country; technical information is appended and copies of the command files needed are available on diskette from The Futures Group.