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Measuring mortality in Thailand

Edited by Emmanuela Gakidou
Population Health Metrics


Accurate mortality statistics are fundamental to help guide priorities in public health policy, planning, and resource allocation. Reliable information on levels of mortality and leading causes of death enables decision-makers to strategically design, fund, and implement programs to ensure the greatest possible impact on longevity and quality of life. This series describes methods and results from what may be the largest-ever national investigation into the validity and quality of cause-of-death statistics in a developing country, using extensive field studies in Thailand to develop reliable estimates of mortality by age, sex, and cause. The research could serve as a model for additional investigations into the quality of mortality statistics in other developing countries.

  1. Almost 400,000 deaths are registered each year in Thailand. Their value for public health policy and planning is greatly diminished by incomplete registration of deaths and by concerns about the quality of cau...

    Authors: Yawarat Porapakkham, Chalapati Rao, Junya Pattaraarchachai, Warangkana Polprasert, Theo Vos, Timothy Adair and Alan D Lopez
    Citation: Population Health Metrics 2010 8:14
  2. Ascertainment of cause for deaths that occur in the absence of medical attention is a significant problem in many countries, including Thailand, where more than 50% of such deaths are registered with ill-defin...

    Authors: Warangkana Polprasert, Chalapati Rao, Timothy Adair, Junya Pattaraarchachai, Yawarat Porapakkham and Alan D Lopez
    Citation: Population Health Metrics 2010 8:13
  3. In Thailand, 35% of all deaths occur in hospitals, and the cause of death is medically certified by attending physicians. About 15% of hospital deaths are registered with nonspecific diagnoses, despite the pot...

    Authors: Junya Pattaraarchachai, Chalapati Rao, Warangkana Polprasert, Yawarat Porapakkham, Wansa Pao-in, Noppcha Singwerathum and Alan D Lopez
    Citation: Population Health Metrics 2010 8:12
  4. Cause-specific mortality statistics by age and sex are primary evidence for epidemiological research and health policy. Annual mortality statistics from vital registration systems in Thailand are of limited ut...

    Authors: Chalapati Rao, Yawarat Porapakkham, Junya Pattaraarchachai, Warangkana Polprasert, Narumol Swampunyalert and Alan D Lopez
    Citation: Population Health Metrics 2010 8:11