The development of under-registration of deaths and causes of ill-defined deaths in Minas Gerais: regional differences

Abstract

This paper analyzes the evolution of the coverage of the death counts registration system and its relation to the presence of ill-defined causes of deaths, in the state of Minas Gerais, between 1980 and 2007. The study combines formal demography techniques with spatial analysis techniques, aimed at investigating if the improvement in the death counts registration system is accompanied by an increase in the registration of ill-defined causes of death. The results show that although the coverage of deaths has improved, foci of ill-defined causes of death have increased substantially. The results indicate that ill-defined causes of death have probably currently replaced the non-registered deaths of the past. A complementary spatial analysis of rates of ill-defined causes of death also points toward a growing correlation in ill-defined deaths in the North and Northeast of the State of Minas Gerais.