Incomplete birth certificates: a risk marker for infant mortality.
OBJECTIVE
This study assessed the relationship between incomplete birth certificates and infant mortality.


METHODS
Birth certificates from California (n = 538 945) were assessed in regard to underreporting of 13 predictors of perinatal outcomes and mortality.


RESULTS
Of the birth certificates studied, 7.25% were incomplete. Underreporting was most common in the case of women at high risk for poor perinatal outcomes and infants dying within the first day. Increasing numbers of unreported items were shown to be associated with corresponding increases in neonatal and postneonatal mortality rates.


CONCLUSIONS
Incomplete birth certificates provide an important marker for identifying high-risk women and vulnerable infants. Because data "cleaning" will result in the removal of mothers and infants at highest risk, birth certificate analyses should include incomplete records.
Gould
Jeffrey B
JB
School of Public Health, University of California, 309 Earl Warren Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-7630, USA. jgould@uclink4.berkeley.edu
Chavez
Gilberto
G
Marks
Amy R
AR
Liu
Hao
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001719:Birth Certificates; D001724:Birth Weight; D002140:California; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008423:Maternal Age; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011295:Prenatal Care; D044469:Racial Groups; D012307:Risk Factors