Dikgale, Mamabolo and Mothiba Population Health Research Center (DIMAMO PHRC)
The DIMAMO PHRC is a Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) covering a population of approximately 116,000 individuals from rural villages within the Eastern Region of Capricorn District in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The study began as Dikgale HDSS in 1995 with over 8,000 participants, and expanded to 42,000 by 2010, covering all villages under the custodianship of Chief Dikgale. In 2018, it expanded to cover additional villages under the leadership of Mamabolo and Mothibia, and was renamed DIMAMO PHRC, reaching approximately 100,000 participants. The study population are followed up three times a year with demographic surveillance, and individuals aged 15 and above are followed up annually with bio-behavioural surveys.
Study design
Cohort, Cohort - open, Household panel
Number of participants at first data collection
~116,000 (participants as of 2026)
Recruitment is ongoing
Age at first data collection
Varied (partcipants)
Participant year of birth
Varied (participants)
Participant sex
All
Representative sample at baseline?
The under-resourced and vulnerable populations of South Africa.
Sample features
Country
Year of first data collection
1995
Primary Institutions
South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) (Government, South Africa)
University of Limpopo (Universiteit van Limpopo) (Academic, South Africa)
Profile paper DOI
Funders
Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) (Government, South Africa)
Flemish Interuniversity Council (VLIR) (Research council, Belgium)
Free University Amsterdam (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) (Academic, Netherlands)
International Network for the Demographic Evaluation of Populations and Their Health (INDEPTH) Network (Third Sector, Ghana)
National Research Foundation (Government, South Africa)
Ongoing?
Yes
Data types collected
- Interview – face-to-face
- Interview – phone
- Physical or biological assessment (e.g. blood, saliva, gait, grip strength, anthropometry)
- Secondary data
- Self-completed questionnaire – unspecified
- Interviews or focus groups
- None
- Education data
- Geographic, spatial & environmental data
- Healthcare data
- Other government data
Engagement
Keywords
Consortia and dataset groups
