title: Profile: the Dodowa HDSS.
abstract: The Dodowa Health and Demographic Surveillance System (DHDSS) operates in the south-eastern part of Ghana. It was established in 2005 after an initial attempt in 2003 by the Dodowa Health Research Centre (DHRC) to have an accurate population base for piloting a community health insurance scheme. As at 2010, the DHDSS had registered 111 976 residents in 22 767 households. The district is fairly rural, with scattered settlements. Information on pregnancies, births, deaths, migration and marriages using household registration books administered by trained fieldworkers is obtained biannually. Education, immunization status and household socioeconomic measures are obtained annually and verbal autopsies (VA) are conducted on all deaths. Community key informants (CKI) complement the work of field staff by notifying the field office of events that occur after a fieldworker has left a community. The centre has very close working relationships with the district health directorate and the local government authority. The DHDSS subscribes to the INDEPTH data-sharing policy and in addition, contractual arrangements are made with various institutions on specific data-sharing issues.
authors.affiliation: Dodowa Health Research Centre (DHRC), Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dodowa, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana, Navrongo Health Research Centre (NHRC), Navrongo, Ghana and University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), Ho, Ghana.
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gyapong
authors.forename: Doris
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sarpong
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Awini
authors.forename: Alfred K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Manyeh
authors.forename: Desmond
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tei
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Odonkor
authors.forename: Irene A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Agyepong
authors.forename: Precious
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mattah
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wontuo
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Attaa-Pomaa
authors.forename: John O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Gyapong
authors.forename: Fred N
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Binka
mesh_terms: D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D005869:Ghana / Q000453:epidemiology; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012424:Rural Population