The 2013 SLDHS collected information on fertility levels; marriage; sexual activity; fertility preferences; awareness and use of family planning methods; breastfeeding practices; nutritional status of women and young children; childhood and maternal mortality; maternal and child health; and awareness and behaviour regarding HIV/AIDS and other STIs. The 2013 SLDHS is the first survey to collect data on domestic violence. The specific objectives of the 2013 SLDHS were to: • Provide reliable data, at the national, regional, and district levels, on health and demographic indicators in the areas of fertility, mortality, family planning, maternal and child health, nutrition, malaria, and HIV/AIDS, which can be used by programme managers and policy makers to evaluate and improve existing programmes or develop new ones; • Measure changes in fertility and contraceptive prevalence; • Examine the basic indicators of maternal and child health in Sierra Leone, including nutritional status, use of antenatal and maternity services, treatment of recent episodes of childhood illness, use of immunisation services, use of mosquito nets and treatment of children and pregnant women for malaria; • Describe the patterns of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour related to the transmission of HIV/AIDS and other STIs; • Ascertain the extent and pattern of domestic violence and female genital cutting in the country; • Estimate the prevalence of HIV infection at the national, regional and district levels and by urban-rural residence. The 2013 SLDHS provides data to assist policymakers and programme implementers as they monitor and evaluate existing programmes and design new strategies for demographic, social, and health policies in Sierra Leone. As in 2008, the 2013 SLDHS survey was designed to cover the entire country. However, unlike the 2008 survey, where disaggregation of data was limited to regional levels, the 2013 SLDHS went further to disaggregate data at the district level. The survey collected information on demographic and health issues from a sample of women of reproductive age 15-49, and also from a sample of men age 15-59 in a subsample of households.
