scholarly journals The COVID-19 Pandemic: Effects on Civil Registration of Births and Deaths and on Availability and Utility of Vital Events Data

2021 ◽  
pp. e1-e9
Author(s):  
Carla AbouZahr ◽  
Martin W. Bratschi ◽  
Emily Cercone ◽  
Anushka Mangharam ◽  
Don de Savigny ◽  
...  

The complex and evolving picture of COVID-19–related mortality highlights the need for data to guide the response. Yet many countries are struggling to maintain their data systems, including the civil registration system, which is the foundation for detailed and continuously available mortality statistics. We conducted a search of country and development agency Web sites and partner and media reports describing disruptions to the civil registration of births and deaths associated with COVID-19 related restrictions. We found considerable intercountry variation and grouped countries according to the level of disruption to birth and particularly death registration. Only a minority of the 66 countries were able to maintain service continuity during the COVID-19 restrictions. In the majority, a combination of legal and operational challenges resulted in declines in birth and death registration. Few countries established business continuity plans or developed strategies to deal with the backlog when restrictions are lifted. Civil registration systems and the vital statistics they generate must be strengthened as essential services during health emergencies and as core components of the response to COVID-19. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print April 15, 2021: e1–e9. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306203 )

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jayanta Kumar Basu ◽  
Tim Adair

Abstract Background In India the number of registered deaths increased substantially in recent years, improving the potential of the civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) system to be the primary source of mortality data and providing more families of decedents with the benefits of possessing a death certificate. This study aims to identify whether inequalities in the completeness of death registration between states in India, including by sex, have narrowed during this period of CRVS system strengthening. Methods Data used in this study are registered deaths by state and year from 2000 to 2018 (and by sex from 2009 to 2018) reported in the Civil Registration Reports published by the Office of Registrar General of India. Completeness of death registration is calculated using the empirical completeness method. Levels and trends inequalities in completeness are measured in each state a socio-economic indicator – the Socio-Demographic Index (SDI). Results Estimated completeness of death registration in India increased from 58% in 2000 to 81% in 2018. Male completeness rose from 60% in 2009 to 85% in 2018 and was much higher than female completeness, which increased from 54 to 74% in the same period. Completeness remained very low in some states, particularly from the eastern (e.g. Bihar) and north-eastern regions. However, in states from the northern region (e.g. Uttar Pradesh) completeness increased significantly from a low level. There was a narrowing of inequalities in completeness according to the SDI during the period, however large inequalities between states remain. Conclusions The increase in completeness of death registration in India is a substantial achievement and increases the potential of the death registration system as a routine source of mortality data. Although narrowing of inequalities in completeness demonstrates that the benefits of higher levels of death registration have spread to relatively poorer states of India in recent years, the continued low completeness in some states and for females are concerning. The Indian CRVS system also needs to increase the number of registered deaths with age at death reported to improve their usability for mortality statistics.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-122
Author(s):  
Tushar Manohar Rane ◽  
Tulika Goswami Mahanta ◽  
Safikul Islam ◽  
Pranjal Pratim Gogoi ◽  
Bivash Gogoi

Genus ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aashish Gupta ◽  
Sneha Sarah Mani

AbstractComplete or improving civil registration systems in sub-national areas in low- and middle-income countries provide several opportunities to better understand population health and its determinants. In this article, we provide an assessment of vital statistics in Kerala, India. Kerala is home to more than 33 million people and is a comparatively low-mortality context. We use individual-level vital registration data on more than 2.8 million deaths between 2006 and 2017 from the Kerala MARANAM (Mortality and Registration Assessment and Monitoring) Study. Comparing age-specific mortality rates from the Civil Registration System (CRS) to those from the Sample Registration System (SRS), we do not find evidence that the CRS underestimates mortality. Instead, CRS rates are smoother across ages and less variable across periods. In particular, the CRS records higher death rates than the SRS for ages, where mortality is usually low and for women. Using these data, we provide the first set of annual sex-specific life tables for any state in India. We find that life expectancy at birth was 77.9 years for women in 2017 and 71.4 years for men. Although Kerala is unique in many ways, our findings strengthen the case for more careful attention to mortality records within low- and middle-income countries, and for their better dissemination by government agencies.


Genealogy ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Vasilis S. Gavalas ◽  
Pavlos Baltas

Previous studies have indicated gender-based discriminatory practices as a result of son preference up to the first half of the 20th century in Greece. Demographic indices calculated from published vital statistics, such as sex ratios at birth and at childhood, were distorted to such an extent that certain scholars suggest that this distortion was due to sex-selective infanticide and neglect of the girls. Although we cannot exclude this possibility, the aim of this paper is to assess to what extent under-registration of female births (in the civil registration system) and under-enumeration of females (in censuses) accounted for the skewed sex ratios and to pinpoint that gender-based discrimination was not the same all over Greece. There were areas in insular Greece, notably the Ionian islands and the Aegean Archipelago, and one area in mainland Greece (Epirus) where demographic indices imply that gender inequalities were less acute. On the other hand, there were areas in mainland Greece, notably in Thessaly, where sex-differential mortality denotes extremely unequal treatment of girls.


Author(s):  
Samuel Mills ◽  
Jane Kim Lee ◽  
Bahie Mary Rassekh

Abstract A complete civil registration and vital statistics system is the best source of data for measuring most of the Sustainable Development Goal 3 indicators. However, civil registration does not include migration data, which are necessary for calculating the actual number of people living in a given area and their characteristics such as age and sex. This information is needed to facilitate planning, for example, for school places, health care, infrastructure, etc. It is also needed as the denominator for the calculation of a range of health and socioeconomic indicators. Obtaining and using these data can be particularly beneficial for measuring and achieving universal health coverage (Target 3.8), because civil registration can help to identify persons in need of health care and enable decision-makers to plan for the delivery of essential services to all persons in the country, including the most disadvantaged populations. By assigning unique identification numbers to individuals, for example, at birth registration, then using these numbers to link the individuals’ data from civil registration, national identification, and other functional registers, including registers for migration and health care, more accurate and disaggregated population values can be obtained. This is also a key to improving the effectiveness of and access to social services such as education, health, social welfare, and financial services. When civil registration system in a country is linked with its national identification system, it benefits both the government and its citizens. For the government, having reliable and up-to-date vital events information on its citizens supports making informed program and policy decisions, ensuring the accurate use of funds and monitoring of development programs at all levels. For individuals, it makes it easier to prove one’s identity and the occurrence of vital events to claim public services such as survivor benefits or child grants.


Genus ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Siow Li Lai ◽  
Nai Peng Tey

AbstractMalaysia has a well-established civil registration system dating back to the 1960s. Birth registration is virtually complete at the national level. However, the quality of civil registration in some remote areas is doubtful, as evidenced by the abnormally low birth and death rates in several districts. This study focuses on identifying districts in Sabah, where the reporting of births seems problematic. Sabah is the least developed state in Malaysia, and it is sparsely populated, despite being the second most populous state in the country. Sabah’s civil registration lags behind the other states, to the extent that birth and death statistics were not reported for the state in the vital statistics report for the period 2000 to 2009. A 2016 study found that death registration is almost 100%, except for Sabah (88%). The plausible reasons behind the ultra-low birth rate reported in several remote districts in Sabah include misreporting of the place of occurrence as the usual residence, delayed reporting, non-coverage, ignorance of the law, inaccessibility, presence of a large number of migrants, miscommunication, and errors in data entry. The under-reporting of births may have serious consequences, such as misallocation of resources and deprivation of services to those affected. In line with the transformative promise of “leaving no one behind,” the Sustainable Development Goals urge all countries to strive to improve data quality for planning; this includes complete birth registration for creating effective development programs to reach target groups more effectively.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Eva Sulistiowati ◽  
Kartika Handayani

Abstract The registration system of death and cause of death as part of a good Civil Registration and Vital Statistics System (CRVS) form the basis for planning, monitoring and evaluating development programs. Ambon City as one of the development areas for recording death and causes of death since 2010 shows results that are still under-estimated (below 7 permill). Evaluation of the implementation process is needed to find out the obstacles. The qualitative methods include in-depth interviews, Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and collecting secondary data as supporting data. The analysis is part of the Comprehensive Evaluation Study on the Development of the Death Registration System and the Causes of Death in 14 districts/cities in Indonesia in 2014, carried out by triangulation and thematically compiled. The results obtained that the system of birth and death registration in the city of Ambon is already well-organized: there are regional regulations regarding the administration of population administration even though they have not included information on causes of death; the difference in vital registration data from various agencies; limited human resources, funds, facilities and infrastructure; and public awareness to report births/deaths still low. To increase the coverage of death registration and causes of death, it is necessary: local government regulations that include the cause of death; formation of joint committees and “one data” vital statistics; Autopsy Verbal (AV) workshop/training; utilization of funds from the Regional Revenue and Expenditure Budget and Health Operational Costs optimally; cooperation with community leaders (Muhabet) and socialization to the community. Abstrak Sistem registrasi kematian dan penyebab kematian sebagai bagian dari Sistem Registrasi Sipil dan Statistik Vital (Civil Registrations and Vital Statistics/CRVS) yang baik menjadi dasar untuk perencanaan, monitoring, dan evaluasi program pembangunan. Kota Ambon sebagai salah satu daerah pengembangan kegiatan pencatatan kematian dan penyebab kematian sejak tahun 2010, menunjukkan hasil yang masih under estimate (dibawah 7 permil). Evaluasi proses pelaksanaan diperlukan untuk mengetahui kendala yang dihadapi. Metode yang digunakan kualitatif meliputi wawancara mendalam, Focus Group Discussion (FGD) dan mengumpulkan data sekunder sebagai data pendukung. Analisis merupakan bagian dari Studi Evaluasi Menyeluruh Pengembangan Sistem Registrasi Kematian dan Penyebab Kematian di 14 kabupaten/kota di Indonesia Tahun 2014, dilakukan dengan triangulasi dan disusun secara tematik. Hasil yang diperoleh bahwa sistem pencatatan kelahiran dan kematian di Kota Ambon sudah tersistem dan tertata cukup baik, ada peraturan daerah tentang penyelenggaraan administrasi kependudukan walaupun belum mencakup keterangan penyebab kematian; adanya perbedaan data registrasi vital dari berbagai instansi; keterbatasan sumber daya manusia, dana, sarana prasarana; serta kesadaran masyarakat untuk melaporkan kejadian kelahiran/kematian yang masih rendah. Untuk meningkatkan cakupan registrasi kematian dan penyebab kematian, diperlukan: regulasi pemerintah daerah yang menyertakan penyebab kematian; pembentukan komite bersama dan “one data” statistik vital; workshop/pelatihan Autopsy Verbal (AV); pemanfaatan dana Anggaran Pendapatan dan Belanja Daerah (APBD) dan Biaya Operasional Kesehatan (BOK) secara optimal; kerjasama dengan tokoh masyarakat (Muhabet), dan sosialisasi kepada masyarakat.


Genus ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Moinuddin Haider ◽  
Nurul Alam ◽  
Mamun Ibn Bashar ◽  
Stéphane Helleringer

AbstractCivil registration of vital events such as deaths and births is a key part of the process of securing rights and benefits for individuals worldwide. It also enables the production of vital statistics for local planning of social services. In many low- and lower-middle-income countries, however, civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems do not adequately register significant numbers of births and, especially, deaths. In this study, we aim to estimate the completeness of adult death registration (for age 15 and older) in the Matlab health and demographic surveillance system (HDSS) area in Bangladesh and to identify reasons for (not) registering deaths in the national CRVS system. We conducted a sample survey of 2538 households and recorded 571 adult deaths that had occurred in the 3 years preceding the survey. Only 17% of these deaths were registered in the national CRVS system, with large gender differences in registration rates (male = 26% vs. female = 5%). Respondents who reported that a recent death in the household was registered indicated that the primary reasons for registration were to secure an inheritance and to access social services. The main reasons cited for not registering a death were lack of knowledge about CRVS and not perceiving the benefits of death registration. Information campaigns to raise awareness of death registration, as well as stronger incentives to register deaths, may be needed to improve the completeness of death registration in Bangladesh.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (02) ◽  
pp. 125-131
Author(s):  
Anindita N. Issa ◽  
Kelly Baker ◽  
Derek Pate ◽  
Royal Law ◽  
Tesfaye Bayleyegn ◽  
...  

Introduction:Official counts of deaths attributed to disasters are often under-reported, thus adversely affecting public health messaging designed to prevent further mortality. During the Oklahoma (USA) May 2013 tornadoes, Oklahoma State Health Department Division of Vital Records (VR; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma USA) piloted a flagging procedure to track tornado-attributed deaths within its Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS). To determine if the EDRS was capturing all tornado-attributed deaths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; Atlanta, Georgia USA) evaluated three event fatality markers (EFM), which are used to collate information about deaths for immediate response and retrospective research efforts.Methods:Oklahoma identified 48 tornado-attributed deaths through a retrospective review of hospital morbidity and mortality records. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; Atlanta, Georgia USA) analyzed the sensitivity, timeliness, and validity for three EFMs, which included: (1) a tornado-specific flag on the death record; (2) a tornado-related term in the death certificate; and (3) X37, the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) code in the death record for Victim of a Cataclysmic Storm, which includes tornadoes.Results:The flag was the most sensitive EFM (89.6%; 43/48), followed by the tornado term (75.0%; 36/48), and the X37 code (56.2%; 27/48). The most-timely EFM was the flag, which took 2.0 median days to report (range 0-10 days), followed by the tornado term (median 3.5 days; range 1-21), and the X37 code (median >10 days; range 2-122). Over one-half (52.1%; 25/48) of the tornado-attributed deaths were missing at least one EFM. Twenty-six percent (11/43) of flagged records had no tornado term, and 44.1% (19/43) had no X37 code. Eleven percent (4/36) of records with a tornado term did not have a flag.Conclusion:The tornado-specific flag was the most sensitive and timely EFM. Using the flag to collate death records and identify additional deaths without the tornado term and X37 code may improve immediate response and retrospective investigations. Moreover, each of the EFMs can serve as quality controls for the others to maximize capture of all disaster-attributed deaths from vital statistics records in the EDRS.Issa AN, Baker K, Pate D, Law R, Bayleyegn T, Noe RS. Evaluation of Oklahoma’s Electronic Death Registration System and event fatality markers for disaster-related mortality surveillance – Oklahoma USA, May 2013. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2019;34(2):125–131


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