Direct estimates of national neonatal and child cause-specific mortality proportions in Niger by expert algorithm and physician-coded analysis of verbal autopsy interviews.

ABSTRACT:

Background

This study was one of a set of verbal autopsy investigations undertaken by the WHO/UNCEF-supported Child Health Epidemiology Reference Group (CHERG) to derive direct estimates of the causes of neonatal and child deaths in high priority countries of sub-Saharan Africa. The objective of the study was to determine the cause distributions of neonatal (0-27 days) and child (1-59 months) mortality in Niger.

Methods

Verbal autopsy interviews were conducted of random samples of 453 neonatal deaths and 620 child deaths from 2007 to 2010 identified by the 2011 Niger National Mortality Survey. The cause of each death was assigned using two methods: computerized expert algorithms arranged in a hierarchy and physician completion of a death certificate for each child. The findi

SUBMITTER: Kalter HD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4416334 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature