title: Cross-sectional survey methods to assess retrospectively mortality in humanitarian emergencies.
abstract: Since the rates and causes of mortality are critical indicators of the overall health of a population, it is important to evaluate mortality even where no complete vital statistics reporting exists. Such settings include humanitarian emergencies. Experience in cross-sectional survey methods to assess retrospectively crude, age-specific, and maternal mortality in stable settings has been gained over the past 40 years, and methods appropriate to humanitarian emergencies have been developed. In humanitarian emergencies, crude and age-specific mortality can be gauged using methods based on the enumeration of individuals resident in randomly selected households-frequently referred to as a household census. Under-five mortality can also be assessed through a modified prior birth history method in which a representative sample of reproductive-aged women are questioned about dates of child births and deaths. Maternal mortality can be appraised via the initial identification of maternal deaths in the study population and a subsequent investigation to determine the cause of each death.
authors.affiliation: Global Immunization Division, National Immunization Program, Coordinating Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, Mail Stop E05, Atlanta, GA 30333, United States. kfc4@cdc.gov
authors.forename: K Lisa
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Cairns
authors.forename: Bradley A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Woodruff
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Myatt
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bartlett
authors.forename: Howard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Goldberg
authors.forename: Les
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Roberts
mesh_terms: D000533:Altruism; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D004189:Disaster Planning / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004630:Emergencies; D006801:Humans; D008428:Maternal Mortality; D012066:Relief Work / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors