110. Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. Health Survey in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, 1996: Regional Report Series No. 3: South West Bank Region. Ramallah 1998: 94 pp.
In Arabic and English.

This is the third report on the Palestinian Health Status Survey by region, covering the South of the West Bank. The purpose of the survey and data collection was to facilitate the assessment and monitoring of Palestinian health, and to support capacity building within the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics in the areas of planning, surveillance and monitoring. In four chapters, the report covers the survey objectives and structure, methodology, main findings and an assessment of data reliability. In the South region of the West Bank, 13.8% of the persons surveyed reported to have suffered from an unexpected illness or injury in the two weeks prior to the survey, and 41.3% of the persons surveyed reported having health insurance coverage. In the South West Bank region, 21.7% of the population 14 years and above smoke, 40.5% of males and 1.3% of females. About 79.5% of birth deliveries in South of the West Bank occurred in medical institutions, more in private hospitals compared with government ones. Of all children born in the five years preceding the survey, 94.6% had been breast fed at some stage. The findings indicate that 58.8% of ever married women have used some form of contraception. With respect to child health, the percentage of South West Bank children under five years of age who reported to have had a diarrhea episode or a respiratory infection in the two weeks preceding the survey was 15.5% and 26.4%, respectively. The report concludes with an overview of the survey methodology and data quality.