The 2003 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) is a nationwide sample survey carried out to provide information on population, family planning, maternal and child health, nutrition, childhood mortality, and AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This is the fourth round in a series of national-level population and health surveys conducted in Ghana under the worldwide Demographic and Health Surveys Program, others being in 1988, 1993, and 1998. This latest GDHS included, for the first time, testing of blood samples to provide national rates of anaemia and HIV. All four demographic and health surveys have been implemented by the Ghana Statistical Service, in close collaboration with other stakeholders. The principal objective of the 2003 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) is to provide data to monitor the population and health situation in the country. The primary objective is to provide current and reliable data on fertility and family planning behaviour, infant and child mortality, breastfeeding, antenatal care, children’s immunisations and childhood diseases, nutritional status of mothers and children, use of maternal and child health services, and awareness and behaviour regarding AIDS and other STIs. New features of the 2003 GDHS include the collection of information on female and male circumcision, information on malaria and ownership and use of insecticide-treated bed nets, and haemoglobin and HIV testing. The long-term objective of the survey includes strengthening the technical capacity of major government institutions, including the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS). The 2003 GDHS also provides comparable data for long-term trend analyses in Ghana, since the surveys were implemented by the same organisation, using similar data collection procedures. It also contributes to the ever-growing international database on demographic and health-related information.
