Demographic and Health Survey 2023-2024
Lesotho, 2023 - 2024
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LSO_2023_DHS_v01_M
Demographic and Health Survey 2023-2024
DHS / LDHS 2023-24
| Name | Country code |
|---|---|
| Lesotho | LSO |
Demographic and Health Survey [hh/dhs]
The 2023-24 Lesotho Demographic and Health Survey (2023-24 LDHS) is designed to provide data for monitoring the population and health situation in Lesotho. The 2023-24 LDHS is the 4th Demographic and Health Survey conducted in Lesotho since 2004. The 2023–24 LDHS is a follow-up to the 2004, 2009, and 2014 LDHS surveys.
The 2023-24 Lesotho Demographic and Health Survey (2023-24 LDHS) is designed to provide data for monitoring the population and health situation in Lesotho. The 2023-24 LDHS is the 4th Demographic and Health Survey conducted in Lesotho since 2004.
The primary objective of the 2023–24 LDHS is to provide up-to-date estimates of basic demographic and health indicators. Specifically, the LDHS collected information on fertility levels, marriage, sexual activity, fertility preferences, awareness and use of family planning methods, breastfeeding practices, nutrition, childhood and maternal mortality, maternal and child health, awareness and behaviour regarding HIV and AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), other health issues (including tuberculosis) and chronic diseases, adult mortality (including maternal mortality), mental health and well-being, and gender-based violence. In addition, the 2023–24 LDHS provides estimates of anaemia prevalence among children age 6–59 months and adults as well as estimates of hypertension and diabetes among adults.
The information collected through the 2023–24 LDHS is intended to assist policymakers and programme managers in designing and evaluating programmes and strategies for improving the health of Lesotho’s population. The survey also provides indicators relevant to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Lesotho.
Sample survey data [ssd]
- Household
- Individual
- Children age 0-5
- Woman age 15-49
- Man age 15-59
Version
The data dictionary was generated from hierarchical data that was downloaded from the The DHS Program website (http://dhsprogram.com).
- Contract Phase: DHS-VIII
- Recode Structure: DHS-VIII
Scope
The 2023-24 Lesotho Demographic and Health Survey covered the following topics:
HOUSEHOLD
• Usual members and visitors in the selected households
• Background information on each person listed, such as relationship to head of the household, age, sex, marital status, and individual possession of a mobile phone.
• Characteristics of the household's dwelling unit, such as the source of water, type of toilet facilities and where it is located, type of fuel used for cooking, main source of light for the home, type of fuel or energy used for heating the home, ownership of various consumer goods, and availability of handwashing facilities.
• Child well-being and household structure
INDIVIDUAL WOMAN
• Background characteristics (for example, age, education, religion, and media exposure)
• Reproductive history
• Use and source of family planning methods
• Antenatal, delivery, and postnatal care
• Breastfeeding and infant feeding practices
• Vaccinations and childhood illnesses
• Marriage and sexual activity
• Fertility preferences
• Husbands’ background characteristics and women’s work
• Knowledge, awareness, and behaviour regarding HIV and AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
• Other health issues (including tuberculosis) and chronic diseases
• Adult mortality, including maternal mortality
• Mental health and well-being
• Gender-based violence
INDIVIDUAL MAN
• Sociodemographic characteristics
• Reproduction
• Family planning
• Marriage and sexual activity
• Fertility preferences
• Employment and gender roles
• Knowledge, awareness, and behaviour regarding HIV and AIDS and other STIs
• Other health issues (including tuberculosis) and chronic diseases
• Mental health and well-being
BIOMARKER
• Anthropometry (height and weight), anaemia, HbA1c, and blood pressure measurements
FIELDWORKER
• Background information on each fieldworkers
Coverage
National coverage
The survey covered all de jure household members (usual residents), all women aged 15-49, all men aged 15-59, and all children aged 0-4 resident in the household.
Producers and sponsors
| Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Lesotho Ministry of Health (MoH) | Government of Lesotho |
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| ICF | The DHS Program | Provided technical assistance through The DHS Program |
| Name | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| Government of Lesotho | Govt. LSO |
| United States Agency for International Development | USAID |
| Millennium Challenge Corporation | MCC |
| World Bank Group | WBG |
| United Nations Children’s Fund | UNICEF |
| Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS | UNAIDS |
| United Nations Population Fund | UNFPA |
| Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund) | GF |
Sampling
The sampling frame used for the 2023–24 LDHS is based on the 2016 Population and Housing Census (2016 PHC), provided by the Lesotho Bureau of Statistics (BoS). The frame file is a complete list of all census enumeration areas (EAs) within Lesotho. An EA is a geographic area, usually a city block in an urban area or a village in a rural area, consisting of approximately 100 households. In rural areas, it may consist of one or more villages. Each EA serves as a counting unit for the population census and has a satellite map delineating its boundaries, with identification information and a measure of size, which is the number of residential households enumerated in the 2016 PHC. Lesotho is administratively divided into 10 districts; each district is subdivided into constituencies and each constituency into community councils.
The 2023–24 LDHS sample of households was stratified and selected independently in two stages. Each district was stratified into urban, peri-urban, and rural areas; this yielded 29 sampling strata because there are no peri-urban areas in Butha-Buthe. In the first sampling stage, 400 EAs were selected with probability proportional to EA size and with independent selection in each sampling stratum. A household listing operation was carried out in all of the selected sample EAs, and the resulting lists of households served as the sampling frame for the selection of households in the next stage.
In the second stage of selection, a fixed number of 25 households per cluster (EA) were selected with an equal probability systematic selection from the newly created household listing. All women age 15–49 who were usual members of the selected households or who spent the night before the survey in the selected households were eligible for the Woman’s Questionnaire. In every other household, all men age 15–59 who were usual members of the selected households or who spent the night before the survey in the selected households were eligible for the Man’s Questionnaire. All households in the men’s subsample were eligible for the Biomarker Questionnaire.
Fifteen listing teams, each consisting of three listers/mappers and a supervisor, were deployed in the field to complete the listing operation. Training of the household listers/mappers took place from 28 to 30 June 2024. The household listing operation was carried out in all of the selected EAs from 5 to 26 July 2024. For each household, Global Positioning System (GPS) data were collected at the time of listing and during interviews.
Survey instrument
Four questionnaires were used for the 2023–24 LDHS: the Household Questionnaire, the Woman’s Questionnaire, the Man’s Questionnaire, and the Biomarker Questionnaire. The questionnaires, based on The DHS Program’s model questionnaires, were adapted to reflect the population and health issues relevant to Lesotho and were translated into Sesotho. In addition, a self-administered Fieldworker Questionnaire collected information about the survey’s fieldworkers.
Data collection
| Start | End |
|---|---|
| 2023-11-27 | 2024-02-29 |
- Computer Assisted Personal Interview [capi]
| Training |
|---|
| Training for the 2023–24 LDHS fieldworkers was conducted from 26 October to 24 November 2023. Two separate training programmes were organised: one focused on the Household Questionnaire, the Woman’s Questionnaire, and the Man’s Questionnaire for interviewers and team supervisors and another on biomarker components for biomarker technicians. Representatives from ICF and the MoH attended the training as resource persons. A total of 100 interviewers and team supervisors (60 women and 40 men) attended the training. They were recruited based on their educational level, prior survey experience, and willingness to spend 4 months on the project. The training included lectures on completing the questionnaires, guided mock interviews, pair-interviewing practice exercises, and practical training using tablets to reinforce learning and familiarise interviewers with the CAPI system. Biomarker technicians received separate training on measuring the height and weight of children and adults as well as collecting biomarkers for blood glucose, blood pressure, and anaemia. This training took place from 6 to 23 November 2023, with 15 biomarker technicians (14 women and one man) participating. To qualify for biomarker data collection, technicians had to be nurses or nutritionists. The training on child height measurement included standardisation exercises, which all participants passed on the first attempt, making restandardisation exercises unnecessary. Fieldwork practice took place from 20 to 22 November 2023 across six clusters near the training location in Berea district. |
Data collection was carried out by 15 field teams, each consisting of one team supervisor, three or four female interviewers, one to three male interviewers, one biomarker technician, and one driver. Data collection took place over a 3-month period from 27 November 2023 to 29 February 2024 across the 10 districts of Lesotho. Electronic data files containing interview results were transferred from each interviewer’s tablet to the team supervisor’s tablet each day and then were transferred by the supervisor to the central office every day via a secure data transfer system. Ten senior staff members from the MoH coordinated, supervised, and monitored the quality of fieldwork activities.
Data processing
The survey data were collected using tablet computers running the Android operating system and Census and Survey Processing System (CSPro) software, jointly developed by the United States Census Bureau, ICF, and Serpro S.A. English and Sesotho questionnaires were used for collecting data via CAPI. The CAPI programmes accepted only valid responses, automatically performed checks on ranges of values, skipped to the appropriate question based on the responses given, and checked the consistency of the data collected. Answers to the survey questions were entered into the tablets by each interviewer. Supervisors downloaded interview data to their tablet, checked the data for completeness, and monitored fieldwork progress.
Each day, after completion of interviews, field supervisors submitted data to the central server. Data were sent to the central office via secure internet data transfer. The data processing managers monitored the quality of the data received and downloaded completed data files for completed clusters into the system. ICF provided the CSPro software for data processing and technical assistance in the preparation of the data capture, data management, and data editing programmes. Secondary editing was conducted simultaneously with data collection. All technical support for data processing and use of the tablets was provided by ICF.
Data Access
| Name | URL |
|---|---|
| The DHS Program | https://dhsprogram.com |
Request Dataset Access
The following applies to DHS, MIS, AIS and SPA survey datasets (Surveys, GPS, and HIV).
To request dataset access, you must first be a registered user of the website. You must then create a new research project request. The request must include a project title and a description of the analysis you propose to perform with the data.
The requested data should only be used for the purpose of the research or study. To request the same or different data for another purpose, a new research project request should be submitted. The DHS Program will normally review all data requests within 24 hours (Monday - Friday) and provide notification if access has been granted or additional project information is needed before access can be granted.
DATASET ACCESS APPROVAL PROCESS
Access to DHS, MIS, AIS and SPA survey datasets (Surveys, HIV, and GPS) is requested and granted by country. This means that when approved, full access is granted to all unrestricted survey datasets for that country. Access to HIV and GIS datasets requires an online acknowledgment of the conditions of use.
Required Information
A dataset request must include contact information, a research project title, and a description of the analysis you propose to perform with the data.
Restricted Datasets
A few datasets are restricted and these are noted. Access to restricted datasets is requested online as with other datasets. An additional consent form is required for some datasets, and the form will be emailed to you upon authorization of your account. For other restricted surveys, permission must be granted by the appropriate implementing organizations, before The DHS Program can grant access. You will be emailed the information for contacting the implementing organizations. A few restricted surveys are authorized directly within The DHS Program, upon receipt of an email request.
When The DHS Program receives authorization from the appropriate organizations, the user will be contacted, and the datasets made available by secure FTP.
GPS/HIV Datasets/Other Biomarkers
Because of the sensitive nature of GPS, HIV and other biomarkers datasets, permission to access these datasets requires that you accept a Terms of Use Statement. After selecting GPS/HIV/Other Biomarkers datasets, the user is presented with a consent form which should be signed electronically by entering the password for the user's account.
Dataset Terms of Use
Once downloaded, the datasets must not be passed on to other researchers without the written consent of The DHS Program. All reports and publications based on the requested data must be sent to The DHS Program Data Archive in a Portable Document Format (pdf) or a printed hard copy.
Download Datasets
Datasets are made available for download by survey. You will be presented with a list of surveys for which you have been granted dataset access. After selecting a survey, a list of all available datasets for that survey will be displayed, including all survey, GPS, and HIV data files. However, only data types for which you have been granted access will be accessible. To download, simply click on the files that you wish to download and a "File Download" prompt will guide you through the remaining steps.
Recommended citations are available at https://www.dhsprogram.com/publications/Recommended-Citations.cfm
Contacts
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Information about The DHS Program | The DHS Program | reports@DHSprogram.com |
| General Inquiries | The DHS Program | info@dhsprogram.com |
| Data and Data Related Resources | The DHS Program | archive@dhsprogram.com |
Metadata production
DDI_LSO_2023_DHS_v01_M_WB
| Name | Abbreviation | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Development Economics Data Group | DECDG | World Bank | Documentation of the DDI |
2024-12-03
Metadata version
Version 01 (December 2024). Metadata is excerpted from "Lesotho Demographic and Health Survey 2023-24, Key Indicators Report".