Armenian H K, Zurayk H C, Kazandjian V A
Int J Epidemiol. 1986 Sep;15(3):373-8. doi: 10.1093/ije/15.3.373.
It is difficult to study time trends in mortality from most developing countries due to the lack of an appropriate data base. The present investigation is based on data from parish records of the Armenian Apostolic churches in Lebanon. Death and baptismal registers have been regularly maintained in these churches from 1863. Infant deaths were identified in the registers of the 13 churches. Available data on these deaths were abstracted, coded and analysed. Denominators for the different periods of study and for the various churches were calculated from baptismal records. The study shows that there has been a constant drop in the infant deaths over the review period. Infant mortality rates were higher in the parishes located in refugee camp areas. The most important recorded causes of death included diarrhoea and pneumonia. A study of clustering of deaths by time and place revealed a major epidemic of measles with high fatality in 1926. This epidemic had been previously unrecorded. The present study demonstrates the use of non-traditional data sources to assess long-term secular trends of mortality.
由于缺乏合适的数据库，很难对大多数发展中国家的死亡率时间趋势进行研究。本调查基于黎巴嫩亚美尼亚使徒教会教区记录的数据。自1863年以来，这些教会一直定期保存死亡和洗礼登记册。在13个教会的登记册中确定了婴儿死亡情况。提取了这些死亡的可用数据，进行了编码和分析。不同研究时期和各教会的分母是根据洗礼记录计算得出的。研究表明，在审查期间婴儿死亡人数持续下降。难民营地区的教区婴儿死亡率较高。记录的最重要死因包括腹泻和肺炎。一项关于死亡时间和地点聚集情况的研究显示，1926年发生了一场高致死率的麻疹大流行。此前这场流行病未被记录。本研究展示了利用非传统数据源评估死亡率长期长期趋势的方法。
