Assessing the Measurement of Neonatal Mortality in Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems

Andrea Verhulst, Institut National d'Études Démographiques (INED)
Julio E. Romero-Prieto, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)
Bruno Lankoandé, Joseph Ki-Zerbo University (UJKZ)
Gilles Pison, Muséum National D'histoire Naturelle
Michel Guillot, University of Pennsylvania & INED

In 2015, the reduction of the neonatal mortality rate—the probability of dying before 28 days—was included among the SDGs and this indicator of mortality is now monitored worldwide. However, in most low- and middle-income countries the completeness of vital registration systems is insufficient for that monitoring purpose. In that context, Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems (HDSS) offer an important alternative source of information. However, several studies on HDSS have called attention on the risk that births, and particularly those followed by an early neonatal death, could be missed between the rounds of data collection. In this study, we assess this issue using a new model of under-5 mortality tailored for the epidemiological contexts in which HDSS are situated. Based on model predictions, the first goal of the paper is to assess the level of completeness of neonatal deaths in HDSS from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. As a second goal, we aim to explain the estimated level of completeness with additional variables (e.g., the time between round of data collection or the existence of a pregnancy follow-up).

Keywords: Data and Methods, Health and Morbidity

See extended abstract.