District Level Household Survey (Rapid Household Survey )

Objectives

• District-level survey on reproductive and child health and on government services

Dates

• RHS 1 (DLHS 1) in 1998-99 (in two phases)
• DLHS 2 in 2002-03 (in two phases)
• DHLS 3 in (2007-08)

Organization and management

• IIPS, Mumbai, is the coordinating agency
• State surveys conducted by Population Research Centres, private organizations etc.
• Enumeration conducted by temporary employees after intensive training

Sampling

• Conducted at individual and household level.
• 1000 to 1500 households per district with 474 463 women and 257 245 men interviewed

Publication scale

• Data published at national level with district estimates
• India volume published and additional (state or district) volumes scheduled

Publication

• Paper format: regional and national volumes (tables, analysis)
• Electronic format: a few reports are available on the web (PDF format)
• Raw data: available on CD from IIPS

Topics covered

• Ante Natal Care (ANC) and other health services, demographic behaviour, family planning, awareness about RTI/STI and HIV/AIDS, user's satisfaction
• Health Infrastructure (trained staff, equipment, etc.)

Website

• http://www.rchiips.org/ (new quality website that includes national reports from DLHS 1, 2 and 3 as well as regional reports).
• see also: http://mohfw.nic.in/dofw%20website/dofw.htm which includes some of the results as well as other statistics from the department of Family Welfare.

Assessment

• An unique source to assess the quality of government health services
• One of the largest data source on demographic change in India
• Data available at district level (raw data available on request)

Limitations

• Quality unknown

New features

Round 2 includes further dimensions (nutritional status, attitude of husbands)