The principal objective of the 2009-10 Timor-Leste Demographic and Health Survey (TLDHS) was to provide current and reliable data on fertility and family planning behavior, child mortality, adult and maternal mortality, child nutritional status, the utilization of maternal and child health services, and knowledge of HIV/AIDS. The specific objectives of the survey were to: collect data at the national level that will allow the calculation of key demographic rates; analyze the direct and indirect factors that determine the levels and trends in fertility; measure the level of contraceptive knowledge among women and men, and measure the level of practice among women by method, according to urban or rural residence; collect quality data on family health, including immunization coverage among children, prevalence and treatment of diarrhea and other diseases among children under age 5, and maternity care indicators, including antenatal visits, assistance at delivery, and postnatal care; collect data on infant and child mortality and on maternal and adult mortality; obtain data on child feeding practices, including breastfeeding, and collect anthropometric measures to use in assessing the nutritional status of women and children; collect information on knowledge of tuberculosis (TB), knowledge of the spread of TB, and attitudes towards people infected with TB among women and men; collect data on use of treated and untreated mosquito nets, persons who sleep under the nets, use of drugs for malaria during pregnancy, and use of antimalarial drugs fortreatment of fever among children under age 5; collect data on knowledge and attitudes of women and men about sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS, and evaluate patterns of recent behavior regarding condom use; collect information on the sexual practices of women and men; their number of sexual partners in the past 12 months, and over their lifetime; risky sexual behavior, including condom use at last sexual intercourse; and payment for sex; conduct hemoglobin testing on women age 15-49 and children age 6-59 months in a subsample of households selected for the survey to provide information on the prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age and young children; collect information on domestic violence This information is essential for informed policy decisions, planning, monitoring, and evaluation of programs on health in general, and on reproductive health in particular, at both the national and district levels. A long-term objective of the survey is to strengthen the technical capacity of government organizations to plan, conduct, process, and analyze data from complex national population and health surveys. Moreover, the 2009-10 TLDHS provides national and district-level estimates on population and health that are comparable to data collected in similar surveys in other developing countries. The first Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) in Timor-Leste was done in 2003. Unlike the 2003 DHS, however, the 2009-10 TLDHS was conducted under the worldwide MEASURE DHS program, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and with technical assistance provided by ICF Macro. Data from the 2009-10 TLDHS allow for comparison of information gathered over a longer period of time and add to the vast and growing international database on demographic and health variables. The 2009-10 TLDHS supplements and complements the information collected through the censuses, updates the available information on population and health issues, and provides guidance in planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating Timor-Leste's health programs. Further, the results of the survey assist in monitoring the progress made towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and other international initiatives. The 2009-10 TLDHS includes topics related to fertility levels and determinants; family planning; fertility preferences; infant, child, adult and maternal mortality; maternal and child health; nutrition; malaria; domestic violence; knowledge of HIV/AIDS and women's empowerment. The 2009-10 TLDHS for the first time also includes anemia testing among women age 15-49 and children age 6-59 months. As well as providing national estimates, the survey also provides disaggregated data at the level of various domains such as administrative district, as well as for urban and rural areas. This being the third survey of its kind in the country (after the 2002 MICS and the 2003 DHS), there is considerable trend information on demographic and reproductive health indicators.
