Geospatial Clustering of Stillbirth Incidence in Chandigarh – North India

Stillbirth Geospatial Clustering in India

Abstract

Introduction: Stillbirth is a highly sensitive indicator of antenatal care. It reflects the strength of public health and primary health care in a country. Globally, India leads in terms of stillbirth burden; while it lags in achieving perinatal mortality goals. However, very less research has been done on stillbirths in the country. India aims to reduce the stillbirth rate to single digit from the current rate of 23 per 1000 live births by 2025. To achieve this, understanding stillbirth epidemiology in the country is imperative. In this paper, we discuss the social risk factors for stillbirth, especially - place of residence, with the help of geospatial mapping. Methods: We analysed the place of occurrence of stillbirth in Chandigarh Union Territory (UT) from 1^st July 2013 to 30^th June 2014 using QGIS Mapping. Data on stillbirth were collected from various health institutions and community health workers of Chandigarh, for the reference period. Results: A total of 259 stillbirths were recorded in this period, with the stillbirth rate of 16 per 1000 live births. From the slum areas of Chandigarh UT 69% of stillbirths were reported, whereas only 31% occurred in the other sectors of Chandigarh UT. Nearly half of the stillbirths occurred in the top 5 slums of Chandigarh.  Top three slums of stillbirth occurrence located in the eastern part of Chandigarh. Conclusion: Socio-economic status plays a major role in stillbirth occurrence. Both long-term and short-term public health policies should be adopted by identifying these areas in every town or district.