Registration of livebirths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths in a cohort study of Jamaican mothers (1986) - abstract

ABSTRACT

Registration of vital events provides essential information for monitoring the health status of a country and planning for health and other social services. This study aimed to determine the extent of under-registration of livebirths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths among a cohort of mothers delivering island-wide in September and October, 1986 and determine the case ascertainment rate of the Jamaican Perinatal Morbidity and Mortality Survey. Lists by parish of delivery of all mothers interviewed in the study were matched to registration documents for livebirths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths filed in the Registrar General's Department for infants delivered in September and October, 1986 and registered between September, 1986 and October, 1987. Whlie 91 percent of all identified livebirths were registered, only 9 per cent of the stillbirths and 6.5 percent of the neonatal deaths were registered one year after the event had occurred. When the infants died in the neonatal period, the birth tended not to be registered; only 47 percent of these births were registered compared to 92 percent of those surviving the neonatal period. The Perinatal Study managed to interview 94 percent of mothers of liveborn infants during the study period. While livebirth registrations are fairly complete, the level of registration of stillbirths and neonatal deaths is unacceptable and gives an inaccurate impression of the state of the nation and the health services (AU)