Palestinian Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2014

Main Findings

The Palestinian Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) was carried out in 2014 by Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. Technical support was provided by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The survey was financially supported by the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), UNICEF and UNFPA.

The global MICS programme was developed by UNICEF as an international household survey programme to collect internationally comparable data on a wide range of indicators on the situation of children and women.

Objectives

To furnish data needed for monitoring progress toward goals established in the Millennium Declaration and other internationally agreed upon goals, as a basis for future action.

To contribute to the improvement of data and monitoring systems in Palestine and to strengthen technical expertise in the design, implementation, and analysis of such systems.

Methodology

The survey was implemented in two phases:

1.      Household Listing, carried out on 2013.

2.      Main survey, conducted on March - April 2014.

Survey sample: 11,125 household.

Response rate: 96.3%.

Main Findings:

Early childhood mortality

The under-five mortality rate in Palestine was 22 per 1000 live births; 20 in the West Bank compared with 24 in Gaza Strip. On the other hand infant mortality rates in Palestine reached 18 per 1000 live births; 17 in the West Bank and 20 in Gaza Strip.

Malnutrition in Children Under Five Years

7.4% of children under the age of five in Palestine suffer from moderate and severe stunting. The percentage was 7.7% in the West Bank and 7.1% in Gaza Strip. Male children under five years suffer from moderate and severe stunting more than females: the rate was 8.1% for males and 6.6% for females.

1.4% of children under the age of five in Palestine suffer from moderate and severe underweight. The percentage was 1.5% in the West Bank and 1.3% in Gaza Strip. Male children under five years suffer from underweight more than females: the rate was 1.6% for males and 1.1% for females.

1.2% of children under the age of five in Palestine suffer from moderate and severe wasting. The percentage was 1.7% in the West Bank and 0.7% in Gaza Strip. The rate was 1.2% for both males and females.

Breastfeeding

96.6% of children aged 0-23 months in Palestine were breastfed: 95.8% in the West Bank and 97.6% in Gaza Strip. The data showed that 38.6% of children in the age 0-5 months were exclusively breastfed: this percentage was 40.6% in the West Bank and 36.4% in Gaza Strip.

Iodized Salt

73.2% of households in Palestine used salt, with at least 15 ppm of iodine; 69.3% in the West Bank and 79.7% in Gaza Strip.

Vaccinations
Data indicated that 97.0% of children aged 24-35 months had received measles vaccine; 96.9% in the West Bank compared with 97.1% in Gaza Strip. Results also indicated that the percentage of children in the same age group who had received all vaccines is 89.9%, by 89.8% in the West Bank and 90.0% in Gaza Strip.

Improved drinking water sources

61.5% of household members in Palestine use safe drinking water source, this percentage is higher in the West Bank (96.8%) in comparison to Gaza Strip (10.4%). Gaza mainly depend on tanks as a source of drinking water (68%), which was considered as unsafe source for drinking water.

Use of improved sanitation

98.6%  of household members using improved sanitation facilities which are not shared, and this percentage is was in the West Bank (98.8%) while (98.4%) in Gaza Strip.

Reproductive Health

Total Fertility Rates

The total fertility rate in Palestine was 4.1 births per woman, with 3.7 births in the West Bank and 4.5 births in Gaza Strip.

The adolescent birth rate (Age-specific fertility rate for women age 15-19) in Palestine were 48 births per 1000 women; this percentage was higher in Gaza Strip and stood at 66 births per 1000 women compared to 35 births per 1000 women in the West Bank.

Use of family planning methods

More than half of married women aged 15-49 years in Palestine used a family planning method (57.2%), with 59.8% in the West Bank and 53.4% in Gaza Strip.

44.1% of currently married women aged 15-49 years used Modern methods, and 13.1% use Traditional methods.

Unmet Need

Unmet need refer to women age 15-49 years who are currently married who are fecund and want to space their births or limit the number of children they have and who are not currently using contraception

The percentage in Palestine is 10.9% of currently married women, 6.3% for spacing and 4.6% for limitation. with 11.0% in the West Bank and 10.7% in Gaza Strip.

Antenatal Care

95.5% of women aged 15-49 years received health care during pregnancy at least 4 times by a health care provider; 95.7% in the West Bank compared with 95.3% in Gaza Strip.

Skilled attendant at delivery

99.6% of women aged 15-49 years were attended by skilled health personnel during their most recent live birth; 99.6% in the West Bank compared with 99.5% in Gaza Strip.

Health Care during Delivery and Caesarean Births

Most births in Palestine occur in health institutions, where 99.3% of births took place in health institutions with 99.3% in the West Bank compared with 99.4% in Gaza Strip.

Data additionally indicated that 20.3% of births in Palestine were by Caesarean section and this percentage rises in the West Bank, to reach 22.7% compared with 17.4% in Gaza Strip.

Post-natal Care

90.7% of women 15-49 years received health care after birth, both during their stay in the health institutions or at home after birth or during a visit to post-natal care within two days of birth; 89.7% in the West Bank and 91.8% in Gaza Strip.

The data also showed that 93.9% of births received health check, either while in the health facility, or at home after birth, or received health care after childbirth within two days after birth; with 96.9% in the West Bank compared with 90.2% in Gaza Strip.

Child development

72.0% of children age 36-59 months are developmentally on track. The analysis of four domains of child development shows that 96.1% of children are on track in the physical domain, but much less on track  in literacy-numeracy (22.0%), learning (91.7%).

Education

The percent literate amoung women age 15-24 years old were 97.2%, who stated that secondary school was their level of education or higher or able to read a short simple statement shown to them.

71.7% of children of secondary school age currently attending secondary school or higher, (70.7% in the West Bank and 73.2% in Gaza Strip).

Gender parity for basic school is 1.03, with 1.03 in the West Bank, and 1.04% in Gaza Strip. and the gender parity for secondary school is 1.27, (1.32 in the West Bank and 1.20 in Gaza Strip).

Child Discipline

91.5% of children age 1-14 years were subjected to at least one form of psychological or physical punishment by household members during the past month. with 89.3% in the West Bank compared with 94.5% in Gaza Strip.

Early Marriage

The percentage of women married at before ages 18 years among women age 20-49 years, were 24.2%, 21.4% in the West Bank while 28.6% in Gaza Strip. 

Comprehensive Knowledge of AIDS:

comprehensive knowledge about HIV prevention include those who know of the two main ways of HIV prevention (having only one faithful uninfected partner and using a condom every time), who know that a healthy looking person can be HIV-positive, and who reject the two most common misconceptions.

In Palestine, 7.7% of women were found to have comprehensive knowledge, the percentage of women with comprehensive knowledge is higher among women in the West Bank (9.9%) compared with women in Gaza Strip (4.5%).