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
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Adjusting maternal mortality data for international comparisons. The case of vital registration systems
- Authors
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Susie Jentoft, Vibeke Oestreich Nielsen, Dag Roll-Hansen
- Series and number
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Discussion Papers no. 773
- Publisher
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Statistics Norway
- Topic
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Discussion Papers
- ISSN
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1892-753X
- Language
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English
- About Discussion Papers
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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.
Contact
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Statistics Norway's Information Centre