Evaluation of quality of epidemiological and demographic variables in the Live Births Information System, 2002

This study evaluates the quality of data in the Brazilian Live Births Information System (SINASC), focusing on the methodological clarity of documentation and adequate data completeness and consistency at the national, regional, and State levels in 2002. The variables analyzed were: skin color/race of newborn, maternal schooling, maternal marital status, maternal occupation, maternal age, prenatal visits, live births, stillbirths, and birth weight. For most of the variables, SINASC shows good data completeness and consistency, but there were serious problems with the quality of data on previous children and maternal occupation. Related to race, there were some methodological problems in the definition and incomplete filling-in for the Federal District (Brasília) and the States of S?o Paulo, Bahia, and Sergipe. Statistical analysis confirmed a significant association between data completeness and indicators of poverty and inequality. The study showed that improvements in SINASC data quality could make this system a good epidemiological source for identifying risk factors and socioeconomic conditioning factors.