The Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) is the first of this kind of study conducted in Bangladesh. It provides rapid feedback on key demographic and programmatic indicators to monitor the strength and weaknesses of the national family planning/MCH program. The wealth of information collected through the 1993-94 BDHS will be of immense value to the policymakers and program managers in order to strengthen future program policies and strategies. The BDHS is intended to serve as a source of population and health data for policymakers and the research community. In general, the objectives of the BDHS are to: asses the overall demographic situation in Bangladesh, assist in the evaluation of the population and health programs in Bangladesh, and advance survey methodology. More specifically, the BDHS was designed to: provide data on the family planning and fertility behavior of the Bangladesh population to evaluate the national family planning programs, measure changes in fertility and contraceptive prevalence and, at the same time, study the factors which affect these changes, such as marriage patterns, urban/rural residence, availability of contraception, breastfeeding patterns, and other socioeconomic factors, and examine the basic indicators of maternal and child health in Bangladesh.
