Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The STEP trials

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Population Health Metrics
Published in: Population Health Metrics 1/2017

Open Access 01-12-2017 | Research

Myanmar mortality registration: an assessment for system improvement

Authors: Myitzu Tin Oung, Kerry Richter, Pramote Prasartkul, Viroj Tangcharoensathien

Published in: Population Health Metrics | Issue 1/2017

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

The vital registration system in Myanmar has a long history and geographical coverage is currently high. However, a recent assessment of vital registration systems of 148 countries showed poor performance of the death registration system in Myanmar, suggesting the need for improvement. This study assessed the quality of mortality data generated from the vital registration system with regard to mortality levels and patterns, quality of cause of death data, and completeness of death registration in order to identify areas for improvement.

Methods

The study used registered deaths in 2013 from the vital registration system, data from the 2014 Myanmar Population and Housing Census, and mortality indicators and COD information for the country estimated by international organizations. The study applied the guidelines recommended by AbouZahr et al. 2010 to assess mortality levels and patterns and quality of cause of death data. The completeness of death registration was assessed by a simple calculation based on the estimated number of deaths.

Results

Findings suggested that the completeness of death registration was critically low (less than 60%). The under-registration was more severe in rural areas, in states and regions with difficult transportation and poor accessibility to health centers and for infant and child deaths. The quality of cause of death information was poor, with possible over-reporting of non-communicable disease codes and a high proportion of ill-defined causes of death (22.3% of total deaths).

Conclusion

The results indicated that the vital registration system in Myanmar does not produce reliable mortality statistics. In response to monitoring mortalities as mandated by the Sustainable Development Goals, a significant and sustained government commitment and investment in strengthening the vital registration system in Myanmar is recommended.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Literature
1.
2.
3.
Rao C, Osterberger B, Anh TD, MacDonald M, Chúc NTK, Hill PS. Compiling mortality statistics from civil registration systems in Viet Nam: the long road ahead. Bull World Health Organ. 2010;88(1):58–65.CrossRefPubMed
4.
5.
Mahapatra P, Shibuya K, Lopez AD, Coullare F, Notzon FC, Rao C, et al. Civil registration systems and vital statistics: successes and missed opportunities. Lancet. 2007;370(9599):1653–63.CrossRefPubMed
6.
7.
Aung-Myint-Thein. Recommendations on Myanmar vital registration and statistics. Workshop on the Improvement of Myanmar vital registration and statistics system (Mandalay). April 28-29. Central Statistical Organization/UNICEF. Myanmar: Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development; 1998.
8.
National Statistical System: Problems, Issues and Prospects (Myanmar), ADB/PARIS 21 Secretariat Joint High Level Forum on Statistical Capacity Building for ASEAN Countries Manila, Philippines, 7-9 November 2002. Paper prepared by Ministry of National Planning & Economic Development Government of the Union of Myanmar https://​www.​paris21.​org/​sites/​default/​files/​157.​pdf. Accessed 13 Dec 2015.
9.
Central Statistical Organization. Statistical Yearbook 2011, Myanmar. Central Statistical Organization, Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development, Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar.
10.
Central Statistical Organization. Myanmar Statistical Yearbook. Central Statistical Organization, Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development. Myanmar: Nay Pyi Taw; 2015.
11.
Central Statistical Organization. Training Manual for Birth and Death Registration. Myanmar: Central Statistical Organization, Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development. 2009.
12.
Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA). The Ward or Village Tract Administration Law (2012). Myanmar: Ministry of Home Affairs, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar 2012.
13.
14.
Phillips DE, Lozano R, Naghavi M, Atkinson C, Gonzalez-Medina D, Mikkelsen L, et al. A composite metric for assessing data on mortality and causes of death: the vital statistics performance index. Popul Health Metrics. 2014;12:14.CrossRef
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
World Health Organization. Rapid assessment of national civil registration and vital statistics systems, World Health Organization and Health Information System, School of Population Health, University of Queensland, editing and produced by Cadman Editing Service, Canberra; 2010.
23.
24.
Moultrie TA, RE Dorrington, AG Hill, K Hill, IM Timaus and B Zaba (eds). 2013. Tools for Demographic Estimation. Paris: International Union for the Scientific Study of Population. demographicestimation.iussp.org. p. 148-164; 196-208.
25.
United Nations. Manual X. Indirect techniques for Demographic estimations 1983.
26.
Arriaga EE, Johnson PD, Jamison E. Population Analysis with Microcomputers. Volume 1. Presentation of Techniques. US Bureau of the Census: Washington, D.C; 1994.
27.
Department of Population. The 2014 Myanmar Population and Housing Census: The Union Report. Census Report Volume 2. Department of Population, Ministry of Immigration and Population, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. http://​themimu.​info/​census-data. Accessed 2 Jan 2016.
28.
Global Health Estimates. Deaths by Cause, Age, Sex, by Country and by Region, 2000–2015. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2015. p. 2016.
29.
30.
31.
32.
The World Bank. Indicators. Health. Cause of death by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and nutrition conditions & Cause of death by non-communicable diseases. http://​data.​worldbank.​org/​. Accessed 20 July 2016.
33.
Rao C, Lopez AD, Yang G, Begg S, Ma J. Evaluating national cause-of-death statistics: principles and application to the case of China. Bull World Health Organ. 2005;83(8):618–25.PubMedPubMedCentral
34.
35.
Nannan N, Dorrington R, Laubscher R, Zinyakatira N, Prinsloo M, Darikwa T, et al. Under-5 mortality statistics in South Africa: Shedding some light on the trends and causes 1997–2007. South African Medical Research Council: Cape Town; 2012.
36.
Powell N. Major obstacles to achieving satisfactory registration of vital events and the compilation of reliable vital statistics. International Institute for Vital Registration and Statistics: Rockville, MD; 1981.
37.
38.
Ministry of Health (MOH) & Department of Health Planning (DHP). Myanmar health statistics 2010. Nay Pyi Taw: MOH 2010.
39.
40.
Tangcharoensathien V, Faramnuayphol P, Teokul W, Bundhamcharoen K, Wibulpolprasert S. A critical assessment of mortality statistics in Thailand: potential for improvements. Bull World Health Organ. 2006;84:233–8.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
41.
Mathers CD, Ma Fat D, Inoue M, Rao C, Lopez AD. Counting the dead and what they died from: an assessment of the global status of cause of death data. Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 2005;83(3):171–c.PubMedPubMedCentral
42.
World Health Organization. Improving the quality and use of birth, death and cause-of-death information: guidance for a standards-based review of country practices. Canberra: World Health Organization and Health Information System, School of Population Health, University of Queensland, editing and produced by Cadman Editing Service; 2010.
Metadata
Title
Myanmar mortality registration: an assessment for system improvement
Authors
Myitzu Tin Oung
Kerry Richter
Pramote Prasartkul
Viroj Tangcharoensathien
Publication date
01-12-2017
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Population Health Metrics / Issue 1/2017
Electronic ISSN: 1478-7954
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12963-017-0153-1

Other articles of this Issue 1/2017

Population Health Metrics 1/2017 Go to the issue

Research

The effects of economic development and built environment on diabetes in China

Research

Choice of relative or cause-specific approach to cancer survival analysis impacts estimates differentially by cancer type, population, and application: evidence from a Canadian population-based cohort study

Research

The share of ultra-processed foods and the overall nutritional quality of diets in the US: evidence from a nationally representative cross-sectional study

Research

The contribution of area-level walkability to geographic variation in physical activity: a spatial analysis of 95,837 participants from the 45 and Up Study living in Sydney, Australia

Research

Evolution of the “fourth stage” of epidemiologic transition in people aged 80 years and over: population-based cohort study using electronic health records

Research

National mortality burden due to communicable, non-communicable, and other diseases in Ethiopia, 1990–2015: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015