title: Improvement of maternal Aboriginality in NSW birth data.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Indigenous population of Australia was estimated as 2.5% and under-reported. The aim of this study is to improve statistical ascertainment of Aboriginal women giving birth in New South Wales.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was based on linked birth data from the Midwives Data Collection (MDC) and the Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages (RBDM) of New South Wales (NSW). Data linkage was performed by the Centre for Health Record Linkage (CHeReL) for births in NSW for the period January 2001 to December 2005. The accuracy of maternal Aboriginal status in the MDC and RBDM was assessed by consistency, sensitivity and specificity. A new statistical variable, ASV, or Aboriginal Statistical Variable, was constructed based on Indigenous identification in both datasets. The ASV was assessed by comparing numbers and percentages of births to Aboriginal mothers with the estimates by capture-recapture analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Maternal Aboriginal status was under-ascertained in both the MDC and RBDM. The ASV significantly increased ascertainment of Aboriginal women giving birth and decreased the number of missing cases. The proportion of births to Aboriginal mothers in the non-registered birth group was significantly higher than in the registered group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Linking birth data collections is a feasible method to improve the statistical ascertainment of Aboriginal women giving birth in NSW. This has ramifications for the ascertainment of babies of Aboriginal mothers and the targeting of appropriate services in pregnancy and early childhood.
authors.affiliation: PRERU, University of New South Wales, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia.
authors.forename: Fenglian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.forename: Richard C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Madden
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Black
authors.forename: Lisa R Jackson
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Pulver
mesh_terms: D001719:Birth Certificates; D003644:Death Certificates; D005260:Female; D006302:Health Services Research; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008393:Marriage / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008429:Maternal Welfare / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008498:Medical Record Linkage; D008880:Midwifery / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009035:Mothers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009517:New South Wales; D044382:Population Groups / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods; D011247:Pregnancy; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D012042:Registries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012647:Self-Assessment