Health & Demographic Surveillance System Profile Health & Demographic Surveillance System Profile: The Birbhum population project (Birbhum HDSS)

The Birbhum HDSS was established in 2008 and covers 351 villages in four administrative blocks in rural areas of Birbhum district of West Bengal, India. The project currently follows 54 585 individuals living in 12 557 households. The population being followed up is economically underprivileged and socially marginalized. The HDSS, a prospective longitudinal cohort study, has been designed to study changes in population demographic, health and healthcare utilization. In addition to collecting data on vital statistics and antenatal and postnatal tracking, verbal autopsies are being performed. Moreover, periodic surveys capturing socio-demographic and economic conditions have been conducted twice. Data on nutritional status (children as well as adults), non-communicable diseases, smoking etc. have also been collected in special surveys. Currently, intervention studies on anaemia, undernutrition and common preschool childhood morbidities through behavioural changes are under way. For access to the data, a researcher needs to send a request to the Data Manager [[email protected]]. Data are shared in common formats like comma-separated files (csv) or Microsoft Excel (xlsx) or Microsoft Access Database (mdb).The HDSS will soon upgrade its data management system to a more integrated platform, coordinated and guided by INDEPTH data sharing policy. VC The Author 2014; all rights reserved. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association 1 International Journal of Epidemiology, 2014, 1–10 doi: 10.1093/ije/dyu228 Health & Demographic Surveillance System Profile Int. J. Epidemiol. Advance Access published December 23, 2014 by gest on D ecem er 6, 2014 http://ijerdjournals.org/ D ow nladed from Why was the Birbhum HDSS set up? The Birbhum HDSS was initiated in 2008 with a mandate to promote and conduct researches on demographic processes, population health and epidemiology, and healthcare utilization in a well-defined prospective population-based cohort. The ultimate goal was to provide a research platform, analytical as well as interventional, which would be able to address major issues in public health and human development in India. Primary ownership of Birbhum HDSS is through an autonomous organization that was specifically formed for this purpose, namely the Society for Health and Demographic Surveillance (SHDS). The Department of Health and Family Welfare (DoH&FW) of the Government of West Bengal funds the HDSS. Research on demographic processes primarily includes fertility transition and contraceptive use, and migration and its impact on health. Health systems research comprises studying access, equality and utilization of healthcare services, health insurance and health expenditure. Epidemiological research includes: a metagenomic study to find out the role of the gut microbiome in determining nutritional status of children; non-communicable diseases related to metabolic syndrome, including formation of risk cohorts; and follow-up observational studies on early atherosclerosis, lean diabetes etc. Research on population health primarily contains issues related to mortality, morbidity, maternal and child healthcare, nutritional status and mental health. The society was also to set up with the aim to guide health education, foster healthcare delivery and, finally, impinge upon policy formulation for promoting human development in the state of West Bengal. Where is the HDSS area? The HDSS is situated in the district of Birbhum, which lies in the western part of the state of West Bengal, in the eastern region of India. Situated between 23 320 3000 (right above the tropic of cancer) and 24 350 000N latitudes, and 87 5