Abstract:
Objective: To implement a vital statistics registry system to register pregnant women and document birth
outcomes in the Global Network for Women's and Children's Health Research sites in Asia, Africa, and
Latin America. Methods: The Global Network sites began a prospective population-based pregnancy registry
to identify all pregnant women and record pregnancy outcomes up to 42 days post-delivery in more than 100
defined low-resource geographic areas (clusters). Pregnant women were registered during pregnancy,
with 42-day maternal and neonatal follow-up recorded—including care received during the pregnancy and
postpartum periods. Recorded outcomes included stillbirth, neonatal mortality, and maternal mortality
rates. Results: In 2010, 72 848 pregnant women were enrolled and 6-week follow-up was obtained for
97.8%. Across sites, 40.7%, 24.8%, and 34.5% of births occurred in a hospital, health center, and home setting,
respectively. The mean neonatal mortality rate was 23 per 1000 live births, ranging from 8.2 to 48.5 per 1000
live births. The mean stillbirth rate ranged from 13.7 to 54.4 per 1000 births. Conclusion: The registry is an
ongoing study to assess the impact of interventions and trends regarding pregnancy outcomes and measures
of care to inform public health.
