South Africa Demographic and Health Survey 1998
South Africa, 1998
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zaf-doh-dhs-1998-v1
South Africa Demographic and Health Survey 1998
SADHS 1998
| Name | Country code |
|---|---|
| South Africa | zaf |
Demographic and Health Survey
The South Africa Demographic and Health Survey series comprises nationally representative household surveys that collect demographic and health indicators for South Africa. The 1987 round was implemented by the Human Sciences Research Council. The 1998 survey was implemented by the Department of Health with the Medical Research Council and technical assistance from Macro International. The 2016 survey was implemented by Statistics South Africa with the South African Medical Research Council and technical assistance from ICF through The DHS Program. A 2003 survey was also conducted, but its data is not publicly available. Together, the documented rounds provide indicators on fertility, infant and childhood mortality, family planning, maternal and child health, adult health, and related topics.
The aim of the 1998 South Africa Demographic and Health Survey (SADHS) was to collect data for the National Health Information System of South Africa (NHIS/SA). The survey results are intended to assist policymakers and programme managers in evaluating and designing programmes and strategies for improving health services in the country.
Sample survey data
- Household - Individual - Women of reproductive age / women aged 15 to 49 years - Adults aged 15 years and older (adult health modules)
Version
v1: Edited, anonymised data for public distribution
2013
Scope
The primary objective of the SADHS is to provide up-to-date information on:
• basic demographic rates, particularly fertility and childhood mortality levels,
• awareness and use of contraceptive methods,
• breastfeeding practices,
• maternal and child health,
• awareness of HIV/AIDS,
• chronic health conditions among adults,
• lifestyles that affect the health status of adults, and
• anthropometric indicators
Coverage
The survey had national coverage.
The lowest level of geographic aggregation of the data is Province.
The 1998 South African Demographic and Health Survey (SADHS) covered the population living in private households in the country. It is only representative of women in South Africa between the ages of 15 and 49. An adult health module was also administered to a sample of adults aged 15 and over in half of the households selected for the main survey.
Producers and sponsors
| Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Department of Health | Government of South Africa |
| SA Medical Research Council | Government of South Africa |
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| ICF (formerly Macro International) | The DHS Program | Technical assistance |
| Name | Abbreviation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| United States Agency for International Development | USAID | Funder |
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Health Systems Research | Coordination |
| Research Co-ordination and Epidemiology Directorate | Coordination |
| Centre for Health Systems Research and Development | Technical assistance in field work |
| University of the Orange Free State | Technical assistance in field work |
Sampling
Two-stage sample based on approximately 86,000 enumeration areas from the October 1996 census (Central Statistics / Statistics South Africa). Target of about 12,000 completed women's interviews age 15-49. Stratification by province, urban/non-urban residence, and EA type. Adult health module administered in half of selected households. Of 972 PSUs selected, fieldwork was not implemented in three PSUs for safety reasons and questionnaires for three PSUs were lost in transit; the data files cover 966 PSUs. About 12,860 households selected.
The results for the usual DHS schedule (women’s questionnaire) indicate that of 12,860 households selected in the survey, 95.2 percent were successfully interviewed. The main reasons for not successfully interviewing the households were refusals (1.8 percent), dwelling vacant (1 percent) and household absent (0.6 percent). The response rate at the household level was 97 percent. In these households there were 12,327 women aged 15-49, 95 percent of whom were successfully interviewed. The overall response rate for the women’s questionnaire is thus 92.3 percent
survey_instrument
The survey collected data with three questionnaires: a Household Questionnaire, a Woman’s Questionnaire and an Adult Health Questionnaire. The Household and Woman's questionnaires were adapted from the DHS Model Questionnaires to meet the needs of South Africa's national and provincial Departments of Health. The Adult Health Questionnaire included questions to elicit data for reporting on the indicators of country progress towards the Millennium Development Goals.
Data Collection
| Start | End |
|---|---|
| 1998-01 | 1998-09 |
- Face-to-face
| Name |
|---|
| University of the Orange Free State |
| Centre for Health Systems Research and Development |
Pilot studies in November 1996; fieldwork late January-September 1998 with about 175 interviewers trained to work in 11 languages across nine provinces. Intensive training covered adult anthropometry, blood pressure, and lung capacity measurement. Paper questionnaires processed at the Medical Research Council in Cape Town using ISSA, with 100 percent re-entry; processing mid-March to October 1998.
Data processing
All completed questionnaires for the SADHS were submitted to the provincial offices of King Finance (who were in partnership with the Centre for Health Systems Research at the University of the Free State), which then forwarded them to the MRC for data processing. The questionnaires were processed at the Medical Research Council offices in Cape Town. The processing operation consisted of office editing, coding of open-ended questions, initial data entry and subsequent re-entry of all questionnaires to ensure correct data-capture, and finally editing inconsistencies found by the computer program. The SADHS data entry and editing programs were written using ISSA (Integrated System for Survey Analysis) by staff from Macro International. A small proportion of the questionnaires were returned to the field to complete missing information. Data processing commenced in mid-March 1998 and was completed in October 1998.
Data appraisal
The computer software used to calculate sampling errors for the SADHS is the ISSA Sampling Error Module. This module used the Taylor linearisation method of variance estimation for survey estimates that are means or proportions. The Jackknife repeated replication method is used for variance estimation of more complex statistics such as fertility and mortality rates.
Data Access
| Name | Affiliation | URL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DataFirst | University of Cape Town | https://support.data1st.org/ | support@data1st.org |
Public access data for use under a Creative Commons CC-BY (Attribution-only) License
Department of Health and Medical Research Council. Demographic and Health Survey 1998 [dataset]. Version 1. Pretoria: DOH, MRC [producers], 2001. Cape Town: DataFirst [distributor], 2013. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25828/6mbk-a889
Metadata production
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| DataFirst | University of Cape Town | Metadata Producer |
Metadata version
Version 9
2026-08-24