The Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey (ZDHS) is one of a series of surveys carried out by the Central Statistical Office (CSO) as part of the Zimbabwe National Household Survey Capability Programme. Conducted immediately following the second round of the Intercensal Demographic survey in 1988, the objective of the ZDHS was to make available to policy-makers and planners current information on fertility and child mortality levels and trends, contraceptive knowledge, approval and use and basic indicators of maternal and child health. To obtain these data, a nationally representative sample of 4201 women 15-49 was interviewed in the survey between September 1988 and January 1989. The ZDHS is one of a series of surveys undertaken by the Central Statistical Office (CSO) as part of the Zimbabwe National Household Survey Capability Programme (ZNHSCP). The ZDHS was conducted immediately after the second round of the Intercensal Demographic Survey (ICDS) in 1988. The main objective of the ZDHS was to provide information on: fertility levels, trends and preferences; family planning awareness, approval and use; maternal and child health, including infant and child mortality; and other topics relating to family health. The survey was designed to obtain information on family planning use similar to that provided by the 1984 Zimbabwe Reproductive Health Survey (ZRHS) and data on fertility and mortality which would complement information collected in the two rounds of the Intercensal Demographic Survey (ICDS). In addition, participation in the worldwide Demographic and Health Survey project offered an opportunity to strengthen survey capability in Zimbabwe, as well as further comparative research by contributing to the international demographic and health database.
