Ghana Child Verbal Autopsy Study 2008

Author(s): Ghana Statistical Service, Ghana Health Service, ICF Macro

Year: 2009

Abstract:

The objective of the 2008 Ghana Child Verbal Autopsy Study (GCVAS) is to gather data about the causes of death of children under age five in Ghana. Since many of the children in Ghana do not die in health facilities, information on the causes of death based on death certificates completed by health professionals is rare, and therefore not representative of the country as a whole. This study is based on a reliable sample of deaths among children under five that was collected in the 2008 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (DHS). Households that reported the death of a child under five in 2005 or after were revisited during a DHS data collection, and the primary caretaker or others in the household were interviewed with a verbal autopsy questionnaire designed to determine the causes of death. The study was implemented by the Ghana Statistical Services (GSS) and the Ghana Health Service. Technical assistance was provided by MEASURE Evaluation and MEASURE DHS projects. Funding for the local costs was provided through MEASURE DHS, which managed funds from the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Ghana Ministry of Health, GSS, Ghana AIDS Commission, United Nations Children's Fund, United Nations Population Fund, and the Danish International Development Agency.