This series explores the broader implications of recently proposed changes in US policy and funding for science and public health in the US and around the globe. In this story, Dr. Brian Wahl discusses how losing access to demographic health surveys (DHS) data—now being discontinued in many settings—impacts modeling efforts. The permanent loss of this vital resource would have significant consequences for tracking progress on global health investments, conducting research, and guiding program planning.
Please tell us about the research you and your colleagues have been doing and its importance to global public health.
Dr. Wahl: My team has used the USAID-supported Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data for several years to explore the health status of children in South Asia where we work. This work has contributed to changes in policy that have affected countless children. For example, DHS data are a core component of our disease burden models for various causes of pneumonia. These estimates have been used by countries to make decisions about introducing new vaccines and prioritizing their rollout in certain regions. DHS data have had a tremendous impact on research and health policy making around the world.
Research using DHS data has been used to inform policy-making around introducing new vaccines, including those targeting major childhood pathogens like Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae type b, and rotavirus. DHS data have also been used in research to strengthen immunization systems, expand maternal health services, and improve childhood nutrition programs. It is difficult to measure the full impact of DHS on human health, but these programs together have likely saved millions of lives and improved the health of many more.
How have USAID cuts impacted this work in the short term?
Access to DHS datasets has already been limited to those approved for access before the current administration made drastic changes to USAID. It is no longer possible to access the data for those who were not previously granted permission. This could have implications for ongoing research projects reliant on DHS data.
The most pertinent and essential implications of the USAID funding cuts are related to acute care for the most vulnerable populations.
If they continue, how will USAID cuts impact this work and public health around the world over the longer term?
USAID-supported DHS data have been used in thousands of research efforts and are the basis for several global monitoring systems, including UN estimates of all-cause mortality, maternal and child nutritional status, and routine immunization coverage. Without these data, global health would be flying in the dark in many ways.