111. Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. Health Survey in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, 1996: Regional Report Series No. 4: Gaza Strip Region. Ramallah 1998: 102 pp.
In Arabic and English.

This is the fourth regional report on the Palestinian Health Status Survey, covering the Gaza Strip region. 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 Gaza Strip, 76.8% of the persons surveyed reported to have health insurance, 41.8% having government insurance and 30.7% being covered by UNRWA. The findings indicate that 35.0% of the males 14 years and older in the Gaza Strip smoke. Breast-feeding was found to be highly prevalent in the Gaza Strip where 97% of the children born in the five years preceding the survey were breast fed at some stage. Of the total children under five years of age, 11.4% were reported to have had a diarrhea episode and 20.3% were reported to have had a respiratory infection in the two weeks preceding the survey. The findings indicate that 53% of ever-married women have used contraception, with IUD being the most commonly used method.