Causes of stillbirth, neonatal death and early childhood death in rural Zambia by verbal autopsy assessments

• Published in: Tropical medicine & international health 2011-07, Vol.16 (7), p.894-901
• Main Authors: Turnbull, Eleanor, Lembalemba, Mwila K., Brad Guffey, M., Bolton‐Moore, Carolyn, Mubiana‐Mbewe, Mwangelwa, Chintu, Namwinga, Giganti, Mark J., Nalubamba‐Phiri, Mutinta, Stringer, Elizabeth M., Stringer, Jeffrey S. A., Chi, Benjamin H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Africa; Afrique; Autopsia; autopsie; Autopsies; Autopsy; Biological and medical sciences; causa de muerte; cause de décès; Cause of Death; Female; Fetal Death - epidemiology; General aspects; Humans; Infant; Infant mortality; Infant Mortality - trends; Infant, Newborn; infantil; infantile; Infections - mortality; Male; Medical sciences; mortinatalité; mortinato; Rural Population - statistics & numerical data; Stillbirth; Stillbirth - epidemiology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Zambia; Zambia - epidemiology; Zambie; África
• ISSN: 1360-2276; 1365-3156
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3156.2011.02776.x

Summary Objectives  To describe specific causes of the high rates of stillbirth, neonatal death and early child childhood death in Zambia. Methods  We conducted a household‐based survey in rural Zambia. Socio‐demographic and delivery characteristics were recorded, alongside a maternal HIV test. Verbal autopsy questionnaires were administered to elicit mortality‐related information and independently reviewed by three experienced paediatricians who assigned a cause and contributing factor to death. For this secondary analysis, deaths were categorized into: stillbirths (foetal death ≥28 weeks of gestation), neonatal deaths (≤28 days) and early childhood deaths (>28 days to