World Health Survey Plus Bangladesh Cox's Bazar 2024
Wave 1
Bangladesh, 2024
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DDI-BGDCXB-WHO-WHSPLUS-2024-V01
World Health Survey Plus Bangladesh Cox's Bazar 2024
Wave 1
WHS+ BGDCXB 2024
| Name | Country code |
|---|---|
| Bangladesh | BGD |
World Health Survey [hh/whs]
The World Health Survey Plus (WHS+) is the first wave of the study. WHS+ surveys are designed by the World Health Organization and implemented by national agencies in participating countries.
The World Health Survey Plus (WHS+) is the World Health Organization’s flagship household survey programme, which is hosted by the Survey Unit within the Department of Data and Analytics (DNA) in the Division of Data Analytics and Delivery for Impact (DDI).
The WHS+ is focused on generating data needed to align with shifting data needs in health programming, policy and analysis, while also working to strengthen household survey systems in member countries.
WHS+ builds on WHO’s experience with generating, analyzing and disseminating representative data from household surveys in over 101 countries.
The WHS+ provides a data collection system for countries to monitor their progress towards population health targets, health-related SDGs, and WHO’s impact framework.
The WHS+ will drive measurement of strategic health goals and add value to countries’ data collection.
AIM
The aim of the WHS+ is to generate valid, reliable, comparable and timely information on a range of health and well-being outcomes and determinants of public health importance in nationally representative target populations. The results from the WHS+ will support WHO member states to track progress on country-specific objectives and towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and HR-SDG targets, and WHO’s Impact Framework approved by Member States.
PRIMARY OBJECTIVES
Create a robust multi-functional data collection platform for generating data to monitor progress on national priorities, HR-SDGs and UHC.
Support countries to generate, analyse and use high-quality data to fill data gaps.
Develop standardized, computerized data collection strategies that enable speedier data collection and more reliable comparison across countries.
ADDITIONAL OBJECTIVES
Develop capacities in using evidence for policy
Institutionalize a regular data generation platform in countries
Provide tools and methods for better sequencing and coordination between studies
Pursue improvements in integrating survey data into health information systems
Provide methods for the inclusion of neglected topics and population groups
Build on post-census surveys with up-to-date sampling frames
Introduce a suite of data collection and analysis tools to use alongside National Statistics Offices and the United Nations Statistics Division
CONTENT
HOUSEHOLD QUESTIONNAIRE
0000 Coversheet
0100 Sampling Information
0200 Geocoding/GPS Information
0300 Recontact Information
0350 Contact Record
0400 Household Roster
0450 Household Consent
0460 Migration
0500 Housing
0500 Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
0500 Clean Fuels
0700 Assets and Income
0800 Household Consumption Expenditure
INDIVIDUAL QUESTIONNAIRE
1000 Socio-Demographic Characteristics
1100 Covid-19 Vaccination
2000 Health State Description
2200 Assistive Technology
2500 Anthropometrics, Performance Tests and Biomarkers
3000 Risk Factors and Preventive Health Behaviours-Tobacco Use
3100 Risk Factors and Preventive Health Behaviours-Alcohol Use
3300 Risk Factors and Preventive Health Behaviours-Diet
3400 Risk Factors and Preventive Health Behaviours-Physical Activity
4000 Chronic Conditions and Health Services Coverage
4100 Accidents/Injuries
4500 Antimicrobial Resistance
5000 Health Care Utilisation
6000 Social Networks
7000 Quality of Life (WHOQoL-8)
8000 Preventing Unsafe Abortion
Sample survey data [ssd]
Households and individuals
Version
v0.1: Edited, weighted anonymous dataset for public distribution.
2025-12-31
Scope
The scope of the World Health Survey Plus includes:
HOUSEHOLD: household characteristics, migration, housing, water sanitation and hygiene, clean fuels, assets and household income, household expenditure.
INDIVIDUAL: socio demographic characteristics, Covid-19 vaccination, health state, assisitive technology, anthropometrics, performance tests and biomarkers, tobacco use, alcohol use, diet, physical activity, chronic conditions and health service coverage, accidents/injuries, antimicrobial resistance, health care utilisation, social networks, quality of life, preventing unsafe abortion.
| Topic | Vocabulary |
|---|---|
| World Health Survey Plus (WHS+) | Survey |
Coverage
Cox's Bazar Refugee Camp
The WHS+ will include all male and female adults (18 years of age and older) who are not out of the Cox's Bazar Refugee Camp during the survey period. It should be noted that this includes the population who may be institutionalized for health reasons at the time of the survey: all persons who would have fit the definition of household member at the time of their institutionalisation are included in the eligible population.
The target population includes any adult, male or female age 18 or over living in camp households. People who are in an institution due to a health condition (such as a hospital, hospice, nursing home, home for the aged, etc.) at the time of the visit to the household are interviewed either in the institution or upon their return to their household if this is within a period of two weeks from the first visit to the household.
Producers and sponsors
| Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Iqbal Masud | Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM) |
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Mohamed Mukhlesur Rahman | Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM) | Survey Manager |
| Mohammad Hayatun Nabi | North South University, Bangladesh | Advisor |
| Name | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| World Health Organization | WHO |
Sampling
The proposed sample size was 800 families, from which a single eligible individual was sampled to answer the more detailed individual questionnaire.
Under Simple Random Sampling (SRS), this sample size would enable estimating any proportion with a standard error no larger than 2%.
This target sample size was agreeable given the expected costs and available budget for the survey.
The sampling frame used to select the sample of families was provided by UNHCR.
This file contained a list of blocks in each of the 34 refugee camps that could be part of the survey.
The camp 'Bhasan Char' was excluded from the survey population due to the high costs of surveying there.
Out of the 33 remaining camps, 1,361 families with 'missing block information' were also excluded from the sampling.
These represent a small fraction (0.7%) of the families living in the 33 camps to be surveyed.
The frame used for sampling therefore contained a total of 178 blocks nested within the 33 camps, and for each of these camps, there was information on the number of families and persons living in the block.
The total number of families was 193,452.
From this frame, a conceptual list of families was created, by duplicating each block's record once for each of the families living in it (say Nb), and numbering the families from 1 to Nb within each block.
The sampling of families was carried out by stratified simple random sampling without replacement (STSRS).
The allocation of the total sample within the camps was approximately proportional to the number of families living in each camp, but with lower and upper limits of 12 and 28 sampled families per camp, respectively.
Distribution of the camp sample sizes within the camp's blocks was close to equal, but the largest blocks received slightly larger sample sizes, always such that the sum of the block sample sizes matched the sample size allocated to the corresponding camp.
The sample of families was provided in an Excel spreadsheet called 'families_sample.xlsx'. In this file, each line contains a selected family, identified by the block id 'block_ssid' and the 'family_id'.
This last variable corresponds to the number of the family to be selected from the family list of each block, whatever the order these families are listed in the original family list.
For individual interviews, one person aged 18 or older per household was eligible to participate.
The eligible individual was selected with equal probabilities using the CAPI program from a list of eligible household members.
Stages of selection
Strata: Camp = 33
PSU: Blocks=162 surveyed
SSU: Families=685 surveyed
TSU: Individuals=685 surveyed
Response rates
response rate=% of households/persons who completed the interviews amongst all eligible households/persons, including those who were not successfully contacted.
Household
Response rate=85%
Individual:
Response rate=84%
Weights
Household weights(variable hhweight) for analysis at household level and individual weights(variable pweight) for analysis at person level were calculated.
Basic household and person weights were computed as the reciprocals of their corresponding selection probabilities, considering all stages of selection.
Basic household weights were then calibrated to population totals by camp, sex and age groups (18-59, 60+) according to the GoB-UNHCR Joint Registration Exercise.
Calibration was done on the marginal distributions, using raking, and was such that all individuals within a sampled household would have the same calibrated weight.
Basic individual weights were calibrated to population totals by sex, age-groups (18-59, 60+), and camp according to the the GoB-UNHCR Joint Registration Exercise.
Calibration was done on the marginal distributions, using raking.
Weights are not normalised, and their sum over the total sample will return estimates of population sizes.
Where the hhweight and/or pweight has a missing value this is because either the sampling information is missing or the sex, age is missing.
Survey instrument
The WHS+ questionnaires were based on the SAGE questionnaires with some modifications and many new modules.
A Household questionnaire was administered to all households eligible for the study.
An Individual questionniare was administered to eligible respondents identified from the household roster by the CAPI programme.
The questionnaires were developed in English. The CAPI template produced by Survey Solution Designer was translated into Banglai.
The English questionnaires are available as external resources.
Data collection
| Start | End |
|---|---|
| 2024-09-15 | 2024-09-29 |
- Computer Assisted Personal Interview [capi]
| Name | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| Dhaka Ahsania Mission | DAM |
Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM), conducted an awareness campaign prior to data collection.
A refresher training workshop was held 9-11 September in Cox's Bazar to prepare the data collection teams.
There were 3 teams in total: two comprised one supervisor, six interviewers and one biomarker collector each, while the third team had an additional interviewer bringing the total personnel to 25.
Interviewers were selected from the pool of those who participated in the national World Health Survey Plus Bangladesh conducted in 2023, based on their performance and their proficiency in the local dialect.
Data collection was carried out from 15-29 September 2024, with a pause on 16 September for a government holiday and on weekends, amounting to a total of 10 working days.
Geo-coordinates were available for only 266 of the 800 families.
Therefore maps for the households were provided by the HQ GIS Centre for Health to navigate the blocks with more ease.
Teams were also escorted by field monitors from UNHCR and the WHO sub-office in Cox's Bazar to ensure that the correct families were being interviewed.
Due to security concerns and camps that were difficult to reach, camps 15 (36 families) and 27 (16 families) were not visited.
Additionally several blocks were not surveyed: block A in camp 8W (4 families), block G in camp 9 (5 families), block F in camp 13(5 families), and block D in camp 24 (2 families).
In total, 15 blocks and 68 families were not visited.
Data processing
Data editing took place at a number of stages including:
(1) office editing and coding
(2) during data entry
(3) structural checking of the Stata data files
Data Access
| Name | Affiliation | URL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nirmala Naidoo | World Health Organization | https://apps.who.int/healthinfo/systems/surveydata/index.php/collections/WHSPlus | whsplus@who.int |
The user undertakes:
(1) to keep confidential any information concerning individual persons or households.
(2) not to distribute the data to any other user.
(3) to use the data for scientific research only and to be used solely for reporting of aggregated information, and not for investigation of specific individuals or organizations.
(4) to share any planned publications with WHO prior to publication.
(5) to site the source of data in accordance with the Citation Requirement provided with each dataset for any books, articles, conference papers, theses, dissertations, reports, or other publications that employ data obtained from the Multi-Country Studies Data Archive.
(6) to share an electronic copy of all reports and publications based on the requested data with WHO.
The Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM) and the World Health Organization bear no responsibility for use of the data or for interpretations or inferences based upon such uses.
"World Health Organization, World Health Survey Plus Bangladesh Cox's Bazar 2024, Version 1.0 of the public use dataset, provided by the Multi-Country Studies Data Archive https://apps.who.int/healthinfo/systems/surveydata/index.php/collections/WHSPlus"
Disclaimer and copyrights
The data is being distributed without warranty of any kind.
The responsibility for the use of the data lies with the user.
In no event shall the World Health Organization be liable for damages arising from its use.
© World Health Organization 2026
Contacts
| Name | Affiliation | URL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nirmala Naidoo | World Health Organization | whsplus@who.int | https://apps.who.int/healthinfo/systems/surveydata/index.php/collections/WHSPlus |
Metadata production
DDI-BGDCXB-WHO-WHSPLUS-2025-V01
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Nirmala Naidoo | World Health Organization | Producer |
2025-12-31
Metadata version
Version 1.0 (Dec 2025)