Danel, IsabellaBortman, Marcelo2013-05-292013-05-292008-05https://hdl.handle.net/10986/13646Vital records, the registration of births, deaths, marriages and divorces, and the vital statistics derived from these records serve two important purposes. Firstly, vital records are legal documents, but the focus of this review, is the role of vital records to create demographic and epidemiological statistics that are used in monitoring trends and developing health policies and programs. Vital statistics are classic public goods, and the World Bank is keenly interested in assisting countries in the Latin America region to strengthen their vital statistics systems. This assessment reviews the status and evolution of vital statistics systems in Latin America and makes recommendations for improving their coverage, quality, and timeliness. The strongest systems in the region on the measures of coverage, quality and timeliness are found in Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, and Uruguay. This review found that countries in Latin America are well ahead of many other regions in the world in developing their vital registration systems. Yet challenges remain before these systems can support results-oriented health programs. Concerted efforts to improve these systems are likely to generate large payoffs in terms of supporting better public policies. Vital statistics should very soon replace surveys in Latin America as the most important primary source of information about births and deaths given their potential to more effectively guide policymaking and monitor results related to the maternal and infant health Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).en-USCC BY 3.0 IGOACCESS TO HEALTH SERVICESBABIESBABYBASIC HEALTHBCGBIRTH ATTENDANTSBIRTH COMPLICATIONSBIRTH DEFECTSBIRTH RATESCAUSES OF DEATHCENSUS OF POPULATIONCENSUSESCENTER FOR HEALTHCENTRAL AMERICACERTIFICATIONCHILD HEALTHCHILD MORTALITYCHILDBIRTHCHRONIC DISEASESCITIESCITIZENCITIZENSCIVIL REGISTRATION SYSTEMSCLINICSCOMMUNICABLE DISEASESCOMPLICATIONSDEATH CERTIFICATESDEATH REGISTERDEVELOPING COUNTRIESDEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCEDIABETESDIAGNOSISDISEASEDISEASE CONTROLDISSEMINATIONDIVORCEDOCTORSFACT SHEETSFAMILY FORMATIONFAMILY RELATIONSHIPSFATHERFATHERSFERTILITYFETAL DEATHFETUSFLOW OF INFORMATIONGOVERNMENT AGENCIESGOVERNMENT OFFICESHEALTH CENTERSHEALTH CONDITIONSHEALTH INDICATORSHEALTH INEQUITIESHEALTH INFORMATICSHEALTH INFORMATIONHEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEMHEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEMSHEALTH MANAGEMENTHEALTH OUTCOMESHEALTH PLANNINGHEALTH POLICIESHEALTH PROBLEMSHEALTH PROGRAMSHEALTH SECTORHEALTH SERVICEHEALTH SERVICESHEALTH SURVEYSHEALTH SYSTEMHEALTH SYSTEMSHEALTH WORKERSHIGH BLOOD PRESSUREHOME DELIVERIESHOSPITALHOSPITAL ADMISSIONSHOSPITAL BIRTHSHOSPITAL PERSONNELHOSPITALSHOUSEHOLD SURVEYSHUMAN DEVELOPMENTHUMAN RESOURCESHUMAN RIGHTIMMIGRANTSIMMUNIZATIONIMPACT EVALUATIONSINCOMEINDIGENOUS PEOPLEINFANTINFANT DEATHINFANT DEATHSINFANT HEALTHINFANT MORTALITYINFANT MORTALITY RATEINFANT MORTALITY RATESINFECTIONSINFORMATION SYSTEMINFORMATION SYSTEMSINHERITANCEINJURIESINJURYINSTITUTIONAL CAPACITYINSURANCELACK OF AWARENESSLATIN AMERICANLAWSLEADING CAUSESLEADING CAUSES OF DEATHLIMITED RESOURCESLIVE BIRTHLIVE BIRTHSLOW BIRTH WEIGHTMALARIAMALNUTRITIONMARKETINGMATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTHMATERNAL DEATHMATERNAL DEATHSMATERNAL HEALTHMATERNAL HEALTH OUTCOMESMATERNAL MORTALITYMATERNAL MORTALITY DATAMATERNAL MORTALITY RATESMATERNAL MORTALITY RATIOMATERNITY HOSPITALSMEASLESMEDICAL CAREMEDICAL CONDITIONSMEDICAL STAFFMEDICAL SYSTEMSMILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALSMINISTRY OF HEALTHMORTALITYMORTALITY RATEMOTHERMULTILATERAL ORGANIZATIONSMULTIPLE BIRTHSMUSCLESNATIONAL GOVERNMENTNATIONAL LAWNATIONAL LEVELNATIONAL LEVELSNEONATAL MORTALITYNEWBORNSNUMBER OF DEATHSNUTRITIONOLDER PEOPLEPERINATAL MORTALITYPHYSICIANPHYSICIANSPOLITICAL SUPPORTPOPULATION COUNCILPOPULATION FUNDPOPULATION SUBGROUPSPREGNANCYPRENATAL CAREPREVALENCEPROGRESSPUBLIC EDUCATIONPUBLIC HEALTHPUBLIC HEALTH STATISTICSPUBLIC KNOWLEDGEPUBLIC POLICIESQUALITY CONTROLQUALITY OF HEALTHREGISTRATION SYSTEMSREPRODUCTIVE AGEREPRODUCTIVE AGE MORTALITYRESEARCH PROGRAMRESOURCE ALLOCATIONRESOURCE LIMITATIONSRISK FACTORSRURAL AREASSKILLED ATTENDANCESKILLED BIRTH ATTENDANCESKILLED BIRTH ATTENDANTSSKILLED HEALTH PERSONNELSOCIAL AFFAIRSSOCIOECONOMIC STATUSSTILLBIRTHSUICIDESSYMPTOMSSYPHILISTBTERMINATIONS OF PREGNANCYTRAUMATREATMENTTUBERCULOSISUMBILICAL CORDUNDER-FIVE MORTALITYUNFPAURBAN AREASVACCINATIONVACCINEVIOLENCEVITAL STATISTICSWOMANWOMEN'S HEALTHWORKERSWORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATIONWorld Bank10.1596/13646