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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Reduce maternal deaths — MICH‑04 Data Methodology and Measurement

This objective is a Leading Health Indicator (LHI). Learn about LHIs.

On this page:  About the National Data  |  Methodology  |  History

About the National Data

Data

Data Sources:  National Vital Statistics System - Mortality (NVSS-M), CDC/NCHS; National Vital Statistics System - Natality (NVSS-N), CDC/NCHS

Baseline: 17.4 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births occurred in 2018

Target: 15.7 per 100,000

Numerator
Number of female deaths due to obstetric causes (ICD-10 codes: A34, O00-O95, O98-O99) while pregnant or within 42 days of being pregnant.
Denominator
Number of live births.
Target-setting method
Percent improvement
Target-setting method details
10 percent improvement from the baseline.
Target-setting method justification
Trend data were not available at the time of establishing the baseline and target for this objective. A 10 percent improvement from the baseline was used to calculate a target. This method was used because there was a lack of reliable information on recent trends.

Methodology

Methodology notes

The maternal mortality ratio indicates the likelihood of a pregnant woman dying of maternal causes. It is calculated by dividing the number of maternal deaths in a calendar year by the number of live births registered for the same period and is presented as a rate per 100,000 live births. The number of live births used in the denominator approximates the population of pregnant women who are at risk of a maternal death.

"Maternal deaths" are defined by the World Health Organization as "the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and the site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management, but not from accidental or incidental causes." Included in these deaths are ICD–10 codes A34, O00-O95, and O98-O99.

History

Comparable HP2020 objective
Modified, which includes core objectives that are continuing from Healthy People 2020 but underwent a change in measurement.
Changes between HP2020 and HP2030
This objective differs from Healthy People 2020 objectives MICH-5 in that the wording differs slightly and tracking data will be from the entire US.