Maternal mortality in Mafraq District in Jordan.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Reproductive Health

Background:

• Maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is a key indicator of a nation's health system.
• Accurate MMR determination is crucial for effective public health interventions.
• Jordan, committed to global goals, needed reliable MMR data, especially in regions like Mafraq.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the maternal mortality ratio in Mafraq district, Jordan.
• To establish a baseline MMR for future interventions and progress monitoring.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of a multidimensional approach for MMR determination.

Main Methods:

• Employed a multidimensional approach combining active surveillance of maternal deaths with reviews of Civil Registry and hospital records.
• Retrospectively analyzed data for the period 1987-1991 in Mafraq district.
• Compared findings with existing estimates to validate the approach.

Main Results:

• The average maternal mortality ratio in Mafraq district was 42 deaths per 100,000 live births.
• The multidimensional approach proved superior to single-source methods, particularly in areas with weak death registration.
• The determined ratio was close to previous estimates.

Conclusions:

• A multidimensional approach is vital for accurate MMR assessment, especially in populations with limited data.
• Establishing a baseline MMR is a critical step towards implementing interventions to reduce maternal mortality.
• Recommends reporting maternal deaths similarly to notifiable diseases until registration systems improve.