Narrative Description of Project: NIPORT has conducting the 2017 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) under the financial support of USAID, ICF, USA is providing technical assistance to implement the survey. In addition, icddr,b is also providing technical assistance to implement the survey. icddr,b is working closely with NIPORT under the USAID’s RDM project. Mitra and Associates is responsible for field survey implementation.

The Stakeholders’ Advisory Committee (SAC) and technical working group (TWG) for the 2017 BDHS has decided to obtain biomarker information (including blood pressure measurements, blood glucose testing, and height and weight measurements) from all women and men age 18 and older instead of age 35 and over. This required increasing the number of health technicians to handle the expanded sample (18+ instead of 35+), as well as associated costs (field travel, supplies/photocopies, cuvettes for the Hemocue devices). The TWG also suggested collecting information on the types of private clinics where women in the BDHS 2017 were visited. 

Responsibilities for Mitra and Associates:

Under this provision Mitra has conducted the following activities:

• Recruit and train 22 Health Technicians for field data collection to measure bio-markers;
• Collect data to measure bio-markers, such as blood pressure, and blood glucose for women and men 18 years and older under guidance of SAC and TWG; 
• Visit the identified private clinics (approximately 1,367) for collecting information on the types of private clinics where women in the BDHS sample delivered.