title: Spatial-temporal dynamics and structural determinants of child and maternal mortality in a rural, high HIV burdened South African population, 2000-2014: a study protocol.
abstract: Child (infant and under-5) and maternal mortality rates are key indicators for assessing the health status of populations. South Africa's maternal and child mortality rates are high, and the country mirrors the continental trend of slow progress towards its Millennium Development Goals. Rural areas are often more affected regarding child and maternal mortalities, specifically in areas with a high HIV burden. This study aims to understand the factors affecting child and maternal mortality in the Africa Centre Demographic Surveillance Area (DSA) from 2003 to 2014 towards developing tailored interventions to reduce the deaths in resource poor settings. This will be done by identifying child and maternal mortality 'hotspots' and their associated risk factors.
  
  
  
  This retrospective study will use data for 2003-2014 from the Africa Centre Demographic Information System (ACDIS) in rural KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. All homesteads in the study area have been mapped to an accuracy of <2 m, all deaths recorded and the assigned cause of death established using a verbal autopsy interview. Advanced spatial-temporal clustering techniques (both regular (Kulldorff) and irregular (FleXScan)) will be used to identify mortality 'hotspots'. Various advanced statistical modelling approaches will be tested and used to identify significant risk factors for child and maternal mortality. Differences in attributability and risk factors profiles in identified 'hotspots' will be assessed to enable tailored intervention guidance/development. This multicomponent study will enable a refined intervention model to be developed for typical rural populations with a high HIV burden.
  
  
  
  Ethical approval was received from the Biomedical Research Ethics Committee (BREC) of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (BE 169/15).
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Public Health Medicine, School of Nursing and Public Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa Africa Centre for Health and Population Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Mtubatuba, South Africa.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tlou
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Public Health Medicine, School of Nursing and Public Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa Africa Centre for Health and Population Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Mtubatuba, South Africa.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sartorius
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Public Health Medicine, School of Nursing and Public Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa Africa Centre for Health and Population Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Mtubatuba, South Africa Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa- CAPRISA, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Congella, South Africa.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tanser
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D046688:Child Mortality; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008428:Maternal Mortality; D011159:Population Surveillance; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: EPIDEMIOLOGY