About BIRPOP

ABOUT BIRPOP

The Birbhum Population Project (BIRPOP) of the Society for Health and Demographic Surveillance (SHDS) is a leading Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS), and a novel research initiative of the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of West Bengal, India.Since its inception in 2008, BIRPOP-SHDS has developed itself as an evidence-based population health researchorganization in the state and strives to serve as a model for other states and countries. The coreobjective of this initiative was to organise a structured field station that captures the dynamics of health and human life in an analytical frame and in a longitudinal manner.

GOALS

  • Maintain a dynamic data warehouse on various social, demographic and health characteristics to understand the health and demographic changes in the rural community over time
  • Create a platform for public health research and apply findings to informstate and national health planning, interventions and assesstheir social impact

BIRPOP-SHDS is an active member of the INDEPTH Network (http://www.indepth-network.org/) a global network of health and demographic surveillance systems.

SURVEILLANCE SITE

BIRPOP-SHDS is located in Birbhum District of the state of West Bengal in India. The study area covers four administrative blocks – Suri I, Rajnagar, Mohammad Bazar and Sainthia – covering 351 villages (Figure).