Attachments
FOREWORD
The Afghanistan Demographic and Health Survey (AfDHS) 2015 is the first survey of its kind to be implemented in the country as part of the worldwide Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS)
Program. It was implemented by the joint effort of the Central Statistical Organization (CSO) and the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), with the objective of providing reliable, accurate, and up-todate data for the country. We hope that information contained in this report will assist policymakers and program managers in monitoring and designing programs and strategies for improving maternal and child health and family planning services in Afghanistan. This report presents comprehensive, final outcomes of the findings of the survey. Users will find the information useful for program planning and evaluation.
The 2015 AfDHS is a national sample survey that provides up-to-date information on fertility levels; marriage; fertility preferences; awareness and use of family planning methods; child feeding practices; nutrition, adult, and childhood mortality; awareness and attitudes regarding HIV/AIDS; women’s empowerment; and domestic violence. The target groups were women and men age 15-49 in randomly selected households across Afghanistan. In addition to presenting national estimates, the report provides estimates of key indicators for both the urban and rural areas in Afghanistan and the provinces.
The success of the 2015 AfDHS was made possible by a number of organizations and individuals.
In this regard, we appreciate the support of the United States Agency for International Development in Afghanistan (USAID) for funding the survey. We would like to extend our gratitude to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for providing technical support during the training. We also appreciate the valuable technical input provided by the Technical Committee and the Steering Committee during the different phases of the survey; these contributed to its successful implementation. Furthermore, the support and collaboration witnessed from the national and provincial administration, nongovernmental and international development organizations, and other major stakeholders is highly acknowledged.
We are grateful to the 2015 AfDHS core team for managing technical, administrative, and logistical aspects of the survey; the master trainers, for their support in training and monitoring the fieldwork; the field staff, for data collection; the data processing team; and, in particular, the survey respondents.
Similarly, we wish to express our appreciation to ICF for its technical assistance in all stages of the survey.
We wish to also acknowledge Avais Hyder Liaquat Nauman (AHLN) Chartered Accountants for providing accounting and disbursement services that allowed for the timely and efficient transfer of project funds throughout the survey period.