title: The trend of national and subnational burden of maternal conditions in Iran from 1990 to 2013: the study protocol.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It is widely accepted that maternal mortality is a proxy for maternal health status. Maternal deaths only represent the top of the iceberg; morbidity due to maternal causes apart from maternal mortality, poses a huge burden on women's families. There is an excessive need to widen the research on maternal morbidity. Here, we explain the framework of our study on maternal conditions and their burden in Iran as a part of the National and Sub-national Burden of Diseases (NASBOD) study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A systematic search will be carried out for both published and unpublished data on maternal mortality and morbidity reported between 1985 and 2013. Data collected through systematic review and those obtained from national and sub-national surveys will be extracted in a data set. Two statistical models will be applied: Bayesian Autoregressive Multi-level models and Spatio-Temporal Regression models. Models will be used to overcome the problem of data gaps across provinces, years and age groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In order to control and manage maternal conditions and to make more efficient and cost-effective policies, there is an excessive need for data on the burden of such diseases. There are a few sub-national analyses of the burden of disease. In the current study, burden of maternal conditions will be assessed at national and sub-national levels in Iran between 1990 and 2013.  The results of this study are undoubtedly required to provide comprehensive information at the national and provincial levels to administer interventions more effectively, since the priority based policies need regional assessments and comparisons.
authors.affiliation: Non-Communicable Diseases Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism population Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, Department of Midwifery and Reproductive health, Nursing and Midwifery School, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. f-farzadfar@tums.ac.ir, frtehrani@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Shayesteh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hajizadeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Marzieh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vahid Dastjerdi
authors.affiliation: Community Medicine Department, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Maziar
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moradi-Lakeh
authors.affiliation: Non-Communicable Diseases Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khajavi
authors.affiliation: Social and Epidemiological Research (SER) Department, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Farahnaz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Farzadfar
authors.affiliation: Non-Communicable Diseases Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Elham
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zandian
authors.affiliation: Non-Communicable Diseases Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Owais
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Raza
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Endocrinology Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Fahimeh R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Tehrani
authors.affiliation: Non-Communicable Diseases Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Farshad
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Farzadfar
mesh_terms: D017281:Cost of Illness; D015340:Epidemiologic Research Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000078202:Systematic Reviews as Topic; D013997:Time Factors