The 2002 WHO World Health Survey – Bangladesh was undertaken to:

• 0 –  develop a means of providing valid, reliable and comparable information at low cost to supplement the information 0 0 0 0-provided by routine health information systems  
• 0- build the evidence base necessary for policymakers to monitor if health systems were achieving the desired goals and to assess if the expected large increase in available health resources was having the desired effect
• 0- provide policymakers with the evidence they needed to adjust their policies, strategies, and programs as necessary

Data were collected on the key aspects of outcomes to which the health system should contribute, inputs to that system, and one aspect of the way the system is functioning—coverage of key interventions.  The specific areas covered were:

• 0- the health states of the population: measuring health in multiple domains
• 0- risk factors and their association with health states: measuring various risk factors such as tobacco, alcohol, physical activity levels, and exposure to pollution
• 0- the responsiveness of the health system: whether the health system serves to meet the legitimate expectations of people
• 0- coverage, access and utilization of key health services:  such as immunization, treatment of childhood illness, safe motherhood interventions, DOTS for tuberculosis, STD and HIV/AIDS prevention, mental health interventions, etc and
• 0- health care expenditures: how much households contribute to the health system 
• 0- Data were also collected on the demographic and social background of respondents, including their economic status, assets and expenditures, and housing and birth history that can be linked to the specific analysis of health and different explanatory variables, such as the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents.

Data were collected from a nationally representative sample of 6,510 households spread across the country’s six divisions, completing both household and individual questionnaires. The survey was commissioned and funded by the WHO, Geneva.