Fetal Deaths in Brazil: Historical Series Descriptive Analysis 1996–2012

Objective We seek to comprehensively assess stillbirths in Brazil, to compare the Brazilian findings with global trends and to identify the limitations of the fetal death record system. Method We studied fetal deaths in Brazil between 1996 and 2012 within the following five regions of the country: t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Maternal and child health journal Vol. 20; no. 8; pp. 1634 - 1650
Main Authors:	Vieira, Maria Salete Medeiros, Vieira, Filipe Medeiros, Fröde, Tânia Silvia, d’Orsi, Eleonora
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	New York Springer US 01-08-2016 Springer Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:	Adult Analysis Birth weight Births Brazil Demographics Developed countries Education Educational aspects Female Fetal Death Fetuses GDP Gestational Age Gross Domestic Product Gynecology Health aspects Health education Humans Infant Infant Mortality - trends Infant, Newborn Informatics Information systems Internet access Maternal Age Maternal and Child Health Medicine Medicine & Public Health Mortality Pediatrics Population Economics Pregnancy Public Health Risk factors Sociology Stillbirth Stillbirth - epidemiology Trends Young Adult Brazil Epidemiological surveillance Control methods Fetal death Stillbirth
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Summary:	Objective We seek to comprehensively assess stillbirths in Brazil, to compare the Brazilian findings with global trends and to identify the limitations of the fetal death record system. Method We studied fetal deaths in Brazil between 1996 and 2012 within the following five regions of the country: the North, Northeast, Southeast, South, and Central-West, through an analysis of data obtained from the Unified Health System’s (SUS) Informatics Department. The rates of stillbirth in Brazil and in these regions were calculated in relation to the maternal and gestational age and education, birth weight, type of pregnancy, delivery type, weight ranges and cause of death. Results There were 579,661 recorded fetal deaths and a decrease of 22.9 % in the stillbirth rate. In 2012, the overall rate was 10.0/1000 births; the North and Northeast regions had the highest rates (10.3 and 12.1, respectively) and the South region had the lowest rate (7.7/1000 births). Two-thirds of the deaths occurred in pregnancies of 28 or more weeks. Low education was an important risk factor, with rates of 24.3/1000 birth in women with no formal education and 4.7/1000 birth in women with 12 or more years of study in 2012. More than 40 % of the causes of deaths were nonspecific. Conclusions Despite the gradual decline in stillbirth rates, Brazil still has stillbirth rates that are nearly two times higher than those found in developed countries. There are inequalities between country regions portrayed by the significant variation in mortality rates specified by cause.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	1092-7875 1573-6628
DOI:	10.1007/s10995-016-1962-8