The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) – La Union Provincial Statistical Office carries out the Philippines’ 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), the 12^th in a series of national demographic and health surveys conducted every five years since 1968, from May 2 to June 21, 2022 in randomly selected sample households in La Union.

The 2022 NDHS is designed to provide information on population, fertility, family planning, mariage, child health, child survival, Human Immunodeficiency Virus /Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrom (HIV/AIDS) and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), reproductive health, nutrition, gender issues, and tobacco and alcohol use.   For this round of the NDHS, information on child discipline and early childhood development will be collected. 

Moreover, the 2022 NDHS will involve interviewing respondents from randomly selected households, and within selected households, women who are 15 to 49 years old.  The respondents will be asked questions about their background, the children they have given birth to, their knowledge and use of family planning methods, the health of their children, their awareness of HIV/AIDS and STIs, and other information that will be helpful to policy makers and program planners in health and family planning fields. 

The survey will cover 1,247 clusters (small geographically defined areas) spread throughout the country. The households in each cluster have been updated based on the result of the 2015 Census of Population.   About 35,000 households were scientifically selected and will be visited. 

In La Union, three field interviewers (FIs) and one Team Supervisor (TS) were hired to visit/interview a total of 348 housing units/households for the 2022 NDHS.  They attended a three-week training together with Senior Statistical Specialist (SrSS) Marieta P. Rivera, Provincial Focal Person, on April 4 - 27, 2022 at Ynad’s Place, City of San Fernando, La Union. 

The 2022 NDHS is funded by the Philippine government and is implemented by the PSA.  Meanwhile, the Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM) provided some of the equipment for the data collection.  Technical assistance is provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through ICF under the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program. 

In line with this, the PSA enjoins the support of Local Government Units (LGUs) and cooperation of sample households and women ages 15 to 49 years old by providing accurate and complete information to the FIs. 

The authority on the conduct of the 2022 NDHS is provided under Section 5 of Republic Act (RA) No. 10625, also known as the Philippine Statistical Act of 2013, which states that “The Philippine Statistics Authority shall be primarily responsible for all national censuses and surveys, including sectoral statistics, consolidation of administrative recording system, and compilation of national accounts.”

The PSA assures the respondents that data to be collected in the survey shall be covered by the confidentiality of information clause under Section 26 of RA No. 10625 and Section 19 of RA 10173 (Data Privacy Act) which states that personal information shall be held under strict confidentiality and shall be used only for the declared purpose.   The NDHS team will also strictly observe the minimum health and safety protocols against COVID-19 during the conduct of the survey. 

SGD. DANITES E. TEÑIDO, Ph.D.
Chief Statistical Specialist