Pakistan: Demographic and Health Survey 2006-07, Preliminary Report

The 2006-07 Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) was carried out by the National Institute of Population Studies (NIPS) from early September 2006 to late-February 2007. The PDHS is one of the largest household-based surveys ever conducted in Pakistan. Teams visited 972 sample points across Pakistan and collected data from a nationally representative sample of over 95,000 households. Unlike the standard DHS design, the PDHS was designed with the objective of obtaining data related to maternal and neonatal health, especially to obtain an accurate measure of the maternal mortality ratio, as well as to obtain data on the causes of deaths to women and children. Consequently, all households were interviewed with a questionnaire that elicited information on recent births and deaths to household members. Recent deaths to adult women and children under five were followed with a more detailed interview on symptoms and characteristics of the deceased.