Discussion Papers no. 773

The case of vital registration systems

Adjusting maternal mortality data for international comparisons

Adjusting maternal mortality data for international comparisons. The case of vital registration systems

Register data on maternal deaths is adjusted in international reports to account for underreporting; however, there has been controversy around these adjustments. The objective of this article is to review the adjustment factors applied to maternal mortality register data.

A literature review provided 72 studies on underreporting showing differences in the definition of maternal mortality. This has not previously been taken into account when calculating average adjustment factors. Our analysis showed that including psychiatric disease and maternal deaths occurring 42 days post-partum had significant effects on the adjustment factor. When using the strict WHO definition of maternal mortality, a median adjustment factor of 1.5 was calculated which is identical to the one used by the WHO.

Guidelines on inclusion criteria for maternal deaths need to be clarified in order for figures to be internationally comparable.

About the publication

Title

Adjusting maternal mortality data for international comparisons. The case of vital registration systems

Authors

Susie Jentoft, Vibeke Oestreich Nielsen, Dag Roll-Hansen

Series and number

Discussion Papers no. 773

Publisher

Statistics Norway

Topic

Discussion Papers

ISSN

1892-753X

Number of pages

25

Language

English

About Discussion Papers

Discussion papers comprise research papers intended for international journals and books. A preprint of a Discussion Paper may be longer and more elaborate than a standard journal article as it may include intermediate calculations, background material etc.

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