The primary objective of the 2014 GDHS was to generate recent reliable information on fertility, family planning, infant and child mortality, maternal and child health, and nutrition. In addition, the survey collected specialised data on malaria treatment, prevention, and prevalence among children age 6-59 months; blood pressure among adults; anaemia among women and children; and HIV prevalence among adults. This information is essential for making informed policy decisions and for planning, monitoring, and evaluating programmes related to health in general, and reproductive health in particular, at both the national and regional levels. Analysis of data collected in the 2014 GDHS provides updated estimates of basic demographic and health indicators covered in the earlier rounds of the 1988, 1993, 1998, 2003, and 2008 surveys.
The GDHS will assist policymakers and programme managers in evaluating and designing programmes and strategies for improving the health of Ghana’s population. The 2014 GDHS also provides comparable data for long-term trend analysis in Ghana, since the surveys were implemented by the same organisation, using similar data collection procedures. Furthermore, the survey adds to the international database on demographic and health–related information for research purposes.