Abstract：Objective To understand the status of under-reporting of data about deaths in Changsha City, and to evaluate its completeness so as to provide a scientific basis for formulation of health policies and health care measures. Methods The multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling method was adopted to select 3 streets/towns from each district (county/city). The death list of permanent residents from 2018 to 2020 was obtained from multiple channels and household investigations, then compared with the data from the network reporting system, and the data failed to match with those from the network reporting system were considered as the under-reporting. SPSS21.0 software was used for statistical analysis. χ2 test or Fisher’s exact test was used to compare the rates, with α=0.05. Binary logistic regression was employed for multivariate analysis, with αin=0.05 and αout= 0.10. Results The overall under-reporting rate of deaths in Changsha from 2018 to 2020 was 8.18%. Multivariate results showed that rural areas (OR=1.76, 95%CI:1.53-2.02), 0-5 years old (OR=10.47, 95%CI:6.11-17.92), non-monitoring sites (OR=3.01, 95%CI:2.61-3.46), the first quarter (OR=1.45, 95%CI:1.22-1.71), hospitals (OR=24.8, 95%CI:14.27-43.12), homes (OR=45.6, 95%CI:26.88-77.37), on the way to hospital (OR=63.33, 95%CI:32.02-125.25), nursing homes (OR=35.31, 95%CI:14.36-86.78) were risk factors for the under-reporting of deaths in the residents. The third quarter (OR=0.78, 95%CI:0.65-0.94), 2019 (OR=0.49, 95%CI:0.42-0.57) and 2020 (OR=0.34, 95%CI:0.29-0.40) were protective factors for the under-reporting of deaths in the residents. Conclusion The under-reporting of deaths in Changsha City during 2018-2020 was generally improved, but the total under-reporting rate was still high, especially in the non-monitoring sites, rural areas and infants and young children, on the way to hospitals, at home and in hospitals. A variety of measures should be taken so as to reduce the under-reporting of deaths and improve the data integrity.
2023, Vol. 30 
