Health & Demographic Surveillance System Profile: The Magu Health and Demographic Surveillance System (Magu HDSS).

Coleman Kishamawe,Benjamin Clark,Raphael Isingo,John Changalucha,Mark Urassa,Basia Zaba,Baltazar Mtenga,Jim Todd

doi:10.1093/ije/dyv188

Abstract

The Magu Health and Demographic Surveillance System (Magu HDSS) is part of Kisesa OpenCohort HIV Study located in a rural area of North-Western Tanzania. Since its establishment in 1994, information on pregnancies, births, marriages, migrations and deaths have been monitored and updated between one and three times a year by trained fieldworkers. Other research activities implemented in the cohort include: sero surveys which have been conducted every 2–3 years to collect socioeconomic data, HIV sero status and health knowledge attitude and behaviour in adults aged 15 years or more living in the area; verbal autopsy (VA) interviews conducted to establish cause of death in all deaths encountered in the area; Llnking data collected at health facilities to community-based data; monitoring voluntary counselling and testing (VCT); and assessing uptake of antiretroviral treatment (ART). In addition, within the community, qualitative studies have been conducted to address issues linked to HIV stigma, the perception of ART access and adherence.In 2014, the population was over 35 000 individuals. Magu HDSS has contributed to Tanzanian estimates of fertility and mortality, and is a member of the INDEPTH network. Demographic data for Magu HDSS are available via the INDEPTH Network’s Sharing and Accessing Repository (iSHARE) and applications to access HDSS data for collaborative analysis are encouraged.

Highlights

Background informationOccupationPhysical activityFood Alcohol use Tobacco use Condoms Family planning Pregnancy and childbirth Desire for children Marriage Lifetime sexual behaviourCurrent sexual partnersNon-sexual HIV risk factors HIV perceptionHIV counselling and testing (HTC)Anti-retroviral therapy (ART) perceptionsHealth services Symptoms of specific illnessesCare and treatment clinic (CTC) servicesExperience of use of different CTC clinics pre-ART monitoring ART use Prevention of mother to child transmission for women aged 15–49Sex, age, marital status, language use, literacy, education level, religion and ethnicity, residence, duration of stay in that place
Between 1994 and 2014, the Magu HDSS population has been updated 28 times through demographic surveillance follow-up by enumerators who visit all households in the HDSS area
Voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) and care and treatment clinic (CTC) data collection voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) services were started at Kisesa Health Centre in 2005 through the collaboration of the TAZAMA Project and Magu District Medical Officer

Summary

Introduction

Background informationOccupationPhysical activityFood Alcohol use Tobacco use Condoms Family planning Pregnancy and childbirth Desire for children Marriage Lifetime sexual behaviourCurrent sexual partners (loop)Non-sexual HIV risk factors HIV perceptionHIV counselling and testing (HTC)Anti-retroviral therapy (ART) perceptionsHealth services Symptoms of specific illnessesCare and treatment clinic (CTC) servicesExperience of use of different CTC clinics (loop) pre-ART monitoring ART use Prevention of mother to child transmission for women aged 15–49Sex, age, marital status, language use, literacy, education level, religion and ethnicity, residence (village, ward), duration of stay in that place. Magu HDSS data have been used to measure individual and household impacts of HIV and antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Results

Conclusion