Abstract

Introduction:Death of pregnant mother is an important public health indicator that reflects both the quality of health care system and the role of women in the society. This study was performed with aim to determine the rate and causes of maternal mortality using Geographic Information System in Kermanshah. Method: In this cross-sectional study, the recorded cases of maternal mortality and cause of death from 2001 to 2012 was extracted via census from family health unit of the province health center. To determine mortality rates, the cases of maternal death per year were divided to the number of live births. Information about the maternity facilities and literacy ratio was obtained from Kermanshah Heath Deputy and Governor. The data were analyzed using Stata 12 and Arc GIS 10.1 software and χ2 test and linear regression. P<0.05 was considered significant. Results: The mean age of subjects was 31.3±7.3 years. 65 cases (65.3) were placed in high-risk pregnancy group. The rate of maternal mortality during 12-years was reported 25.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, and mortality rate had 1.3 unit decrease per each year of change (P=0.04). In this study, the highest maternal mortality rate was in Northwest and Southwest cities of the province. The common cause of maternal death was bleeding (28.3) and abruption (28.3). The literacy rate in any city had an impact on the cause and rate of mortality, so that in the cities where literacy ratio was higher, the death rate was lower, and also more causes of death were indirect causes (P=0.02). Conclusion: maternal mortality rate in some cities of this province is very high and higher than the mean of province and country. © 2015, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.