Abstract

FACANHA, Mônica Cardoso et al. Active searches for deaths in cemeteries in the Metropolitan Area of Fortaleza, 1999 to 2000. Epidemiol. Serv. Saúde [online]. 2003, vol.12, n.3, pp.131-136. ISSN 1679-4974.  http://dx.doi.org/10.5123/S1679-49742003000300003.

Information about the numbers of deaths, their distribution by sex, age group, place of residence and cause is necessary for the construction of health indicators, evaluation of the underregistration in the distribution of these deaths in the population and planning of interventions. To verify if there were underregistration of deaths in the Municipal Health Secretariat of Fortaleza (SMS), Ceará, lists of persons buried in cemeteries in the Metropolitan Area during 1999 and 2000 were investigated. Deaths notified to SMS were compared with those registered by cemeteries, and names absent from the SMS list were compared with the database of the Health Secretariat of Ceará using Epi Info, version 6.04. In 1999, 1,633 unregistered deaths were found in the cemeteries, and 1,931 in 2000. The addition of those deaths increases the rate of mortality (from 5.7 to 6.5 in 1999; and from 4.9 to 5.8 per thousand inhabitants in 2000) and influences mainly the infant mortality rate (from 26.9 to 33.1 in 1999; and from 18.5 to 26.2 per thousand live births). Although the quality of the information affected this kind of research, there are advantages in doing it, because it can improve the study of mortality in Fortaleza

Keywords : mortality rate; infant mortality; health indicators.

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