Assessment of completeness of death registration system in Turkey: 2009-2014

Zehra Yayla, Hacettepe University
Alanur Cavlin, Hacettepe University

Mortality data with cause of death is essential for assessing population health status. It is basis for policy makers and epidemiological studies. Despite its vital importance and common use, the quality of mortality data especially in developing countries are questionable. Although there has been an improvement in compiling, coding, and analyzing in mortality data, according to WHO World Health Statistics for the year 2014, in most of the developing countries civil registration coverage, especially cause of death coverage, is unsatisfied. Mathers et al. (2005) carried out a study for assessing the coverage and quality of global mortality data for WHO member states. According to results in Turkey, coverage of cause of death data is seen under 50 percent for the years 1987-1998 and coverage of death registration is 89 percent for the years 1967- 2000. In Turkey, data on mortality is collected by Ministry of Interior through Central civil registration system (MERNIS) and analyzed and disseminated by Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT). Turkey has been to collect data on mortality and cause of death for whole country since 1957. Since this time some reforms have been applied for improving the mortality data. In the year 2009, mortality data collected by MERNIS and TURKSTAT has been started to reconcile. Aim of this study is to examine the completeness of death registration system in Turkey for under-five and adult mortality for years 2009-2014. Completeness will be analyzed according to sex and age of the deceased. I will make use of TURKSTAT mortality database from 2009 to 2014 and Turkish Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS) -2008 and TDHS-2013. It will be used indirect methods and life tables for estimating the completeness of death registration. In our study, it is expected that death registration system will show a satisfactory improvement in completeness.