ArticleBMC pediatrics2015
Differences in perinatal and infant mortality in high-income countries: artifacts of birth registration or evidence of true differences?
Article in BMC pediatrics, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Prevalence of preterm birth in Scandinavian countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.The Journal of international medical research · 2023Pooled it
- Trends in neonatal mortality on the first day of life in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Definitions, terminology and standards for reporting of births and deaths in the perinatal period: International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11).International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics · 2025Review
- Perinatal death in the Nordic countries in relation to gestational age: The impact of registration practice.Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica · 2024Article
- Evolving stillbirth rates among Black and White women in the United States, 1980-2020: A population-based study.Lancet regional health. Americas · 2022Article
- A new record linkage for assessing infant mortality rates in Ontario, Canada.Canadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publique · 2020Article
- Unattended Pregnancies and Perinatal Mortality in Georgia.Risk management and healthcare policy · 2020Article
- Potential gains in life expectancy by reducing inequality of lifespans in Denmark: an international comparison and cause-of-death analysis.BMC public health · 2018Article
- County-level Variation in Infant Mortality Reporting at Early Previable Gestational Ages.Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology · 2017Article
- Impact of stillbirths on international comparisons of preterm birth rates: a secondary analysis of the WHO multi-country survey of Maternal and Newborn Health.BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · 2017Article
- Rationale and recommendations for improving definitions, registration requirements and procedures related to fetal death and stillbirth.BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · 2017Article
- Perinatal health services organization for preterm births: a multinational comparison.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2017Article
- Variations in very preterm birth rates in 30 high-income countries: are valid international comparisons possible using routine data?BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · 2017Article
- Methodological Challenges in International Comparisons of Perinatal Mortality.Current epidemiology reports · 2017Review
- Infant mortality in the United States.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2016Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
16 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundVariation in birth registration criteria may compromise international comparisons of fetal and infant mortality. We examined the effect of birth registration practices on fetal and infant mortality rates to determine whether observed differences in perinatal and infant mortality rates were artifacts of birth registration or reflected true differences in health status.
methodsA retrospective population-based cohort study was done using data from Canada, United States, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden from 1995-2005. Main outcome measures included live births by gestational age and birth weight; gestational age-and birth weight-specific stillbirth rates; neonatal, post-neonatal, and cause-specific infant mortality.
resultsProportion of live births <22 weeks varied substantially: Sweden (not reported), Iceland (0.00%), Finland (0.001%), Denmark (0.01%), Norway (0.02%), Canada (0.07%) and United States (0.08%). At 22-23 weeks, neonatal mortality rates were highest in Canada (892.2 per 1000 live births), Denmark (879.3) and Iceland (1000.0), moderately high in the United States (724.1), Finland (794.3) and Norway (739.0) and low in Sweden (561.2). Stillbirth:live birth ratios at 22-23 weeks were significantly lower in the United States (79.2 stillbirths per 100 live births) and Finland (90.8) than in Canada (112.1), Iceland (176.2) and Norway (173.9). Crude neonatal mortality rates were 83% higher in Canada and 96% higher in the United States than Finland. Neonatal mortality rates among live births ≥ 28 weeks were lower in Canada and United States compared with Finland. Post-neonatal mortality rates were higher in Canada and United States than in Nordic countries.
conclusionsLive birth frequencies and stillbirth and neonatal mortality patterns at the borderline of viability are likely due to differences in birth registration practices, although true differences in maternal, fetal and infant health cannot be ruled out. This study emphasises the need for further standardisations, in order to enhance the relevance of international comparisons of infant mortality.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.