The purpose of the survey was to provide district level information on reproductive health and child health, create benchmarks, and assess the progress of the national Reproductive and Child Health Program (RCH). Information was collected through in-person interviews, facility interviews, and anthropometric measurements and samples.

The different interviewing instruments included questionnaires for ever-married women ages 15-49 years, villages, health facilities, and households. The ever-married women's questionnaire focused on reproductive health, fertility, maternal care, childcare, and HIV/AIDS literacy. The health facility interview gathered data on staffing, services, and the organizational structure. The household interview investigated household members, deaths since 2008, living conditions, and socioeconomic characteristics of the household. The village questionnaire investigated health literacy, education, village assets, and access to health facilities.