Comparing regional neonatal mortality rates: the influence of registration of births as live born for birth weight <500 g in Taiwan

Objective To investigate regional variation in the registration of births (still+live) as live born for birth weight Design Population-based cross-sectional ecological study. Setting 20 cities/counties in Taiwan. Participants Registered births for birth weight Main outcome measures City/county percentage of births Results The percentage of births Conclusions The city/county NMR in Taiwan is influenced by variation in the registration of live born for births with uncertain viability. We recommend presenting city/county NMR using both criteria (with or without minimum threshold of gestation period or birth weight) for better interpretation of the findings of comparisons of city/county NMR.