International Health Surveys in 75 Countries
Macro is the prime contractor for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded MEASURE DHS Project. The overall strategic objective of the project is to improve and institutionalize the collection and utilization of data for monitoring and evaluation of host country population, health, and nutrition programs and policy decisions. Surveys are a basic component of the data collection activities that Macro supports under MEASURE DHS. We collect information on family planning, maternal and child health, child survival, AIDS, educational attainment, and household composition and characteristics as well as information on key performance monitoring indicators. We design the baseline and followup surveys to cover a limited number of indicators for specific projects. We also carry out other population-based and special surveys on health care expenditures and women's empowerment, and we design and implement a series of qualitative studies to broaden the range of information available for performance monitoring.

Blood-Borne Pathogens Web Site Usability Testing
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is charged with promoting worker safety and health, including the prevention of occupational exposure and transmission of HIV and other blood-borne pathogens to health care and other workers. NIOSH developed a Blood-borne Pathogens sub-site to disseminate materials developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention related to occupational cause and prevention of blood-borne pathogen transmission—especially HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C transmission. To improve this sub-site and ensure that the information is useful and accessible to health care workers and other users, NIOSH recruited Macro to conduct usability testing—including Web site content analysis and site mapping, inquiry method analysis, and field studies with the NIOSH Web site audience members—and develop audience-positioning guides through a strategic branding process.

Health-Risk Surveys
Macro conducted Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) surveys for 21 States, the District of Columbia, and Guam. This annual survey, sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is the largest health-risk behavior database in the world and provides the only nationwide health-risk data in the country. The BRFSS surveys provide valid national and State-level statistics about important health behaviors, such as tobacco use, the consumption of alcohol, immunization, and cancer screening. They measure public knowledge of both health risks and benefits, and the benefits of behaviors such as regular exercise and eating healthy foods. The results of these surveys are used by States to plan, implement, and evaluate health programs, as well as to better identify high-risk segments of the population for targeted education, outreach, and other types of health promotion and disease prevention programs.