Reliability of fetal–infant mortality rates in perinatal periods of risk (PPOR) analysis

Vito Di Bona

doi:10.1515/em-2019-0026

Article

Reliability of fetal–infant mortality rates in perinatal periods of risk (PPOR) analysis

Vito Di Bona

Published/Copyright: January 26, 2021

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From the journal Epidemiologic Methods Volume 10 Issue 1

Abstract

The Fetal–Infant mortality rate (FIMR) is the basic surveillance statistic in perinatal periods of risk (PPOR) analyses. This paper presents a model for the FIMR as the ratio of two Poisson random variables. From this model, expressions for estimators of variance, standard error, and relative standard error are developed. The coverage properties of interval estimators for the FIMR are investigated in a simulation study for both small and large populations and FIMR rates. Results from these studies are applied to a PPOR analysis of NC vital records. Results suggest that the sample size guidance provided in the literature to ensure statistical reliability is overly conservative and interval construction methodology should be selected based on population size.

Keywords: confidence interval; fetal–infant mortality rate; perinatal periods of risk; relative standard error

Corresponding author: Vito Di Bona, MS, Health Services Statistician, North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics, Raleigh, NC, USA, E-mail: vito.dibona@dhhs.nc.gov

Research funding: None declared.
Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
Competing interests: Authors state no conflict of interest.
Informed consent: Not applicable.
Ethical approval: Not applicable.

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Received: 2019-08-06

Accepted: 2020-12-29

Published Online: 2021-01-26

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/em-2019-0026

Keywords for this article

confidence interval; fetal–infant mortality rate; perinatal periods of risk; relative standard error