Cause of Death in Women of Reproductive Age in Rural Nepal Obtained Through Community-Based Surveillance: Is Reducing Maternal Mortality the Right Priority for Women's Health Programs?

Health Care Women Int. 2015;36(6):655-62. doi: 10.1080/07399332.2014.908193. Epub 2014 May 28.

Abstract

We used a community surveillance system to gather information regarding pregnancy outcomes and the cause of death for women of reproductive age (WRA) in Kanchanpur, Nepal. A total of 784 mother groups participated in the collection of pregnancy outcomes and mortality data. Of the 273 deaths among WRA, the leading causes of death reported were chronic diseases (94, 34.4%) poisoning, snake bites, and suicide (grouped together; 55, 20.1%), and accidents (29, 10.6%), while maternal mortality accounted for 7%. Nevertheless, the calculated maternal mortality ratio was quite high (259.3 per 100,000 live births).

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Cause of Death*
  • Community-Based Participatory Research
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Maternal Mortality / ethnology*
  • Middle Aged
  • Nepal / epidemiology
  • Population Surveillance / methods*
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Complications / mortality
  • Pregnancy Outcome / ethnology*
  • Reproductive Health
  • Rural Population*
  • Women's Health