Secondary Data Sources for Maternal Mortality Research
This paper evaluates three secondary datasets used to investigate contributors to maternal mortality in the United States and globally. Using the World Health Organization's definition of maternal mortality, the paper examines datasets covering antenatal care coverage, influenza vaccination rates among pregnant women, and insecticide-treated net usage. For each dataset, the paper assesses credibility, validity, methodological accuracy, and key limitations — particularly the challenge of missing complementary variables. The analysis concludes with a broader reflection on the advantages and disadvantages of using secondary data in public health research, offering practical guidance for researchers navigating these challenges.
- Introduction: Maternal Mortality as a Public Health Issue: Defines maternal mortality and presents key US statistics
- Evaluation of Dataset One: Antenatal Care Coverage: Assesses WHO antenatal care dataset credibility and gaps
- Evaluation of Dataset Two: Influenza Vaccination Among Pregnant Women: Evaluates CDC vaccination coverage dataset strengths and limits
- Evaluation of Dataset Three: Insecticide-Treated Net Usage: Reviews WHO insecticide-treated net usage dataset validity
- Conclusion: Advantages and Limitations of Secondary Data: Summarizes secondary data trade-offs and best practices
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What makes this paper effective
- Applies a consistent evaluation framework — methodology accuracy, data completeness, and credibility indicators — across all three datasets, giving the analysis a coherent structure.
- Balances acknowledgment of each dataset's strengths with an honest discussion of its limitations, demonstrating critical thinking rather than uncritical acceptance of official sources.
- Grounds abstract claims about secondary data in concrete examples, such as the missing maternal mortality rate variable in two of the three datasets.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates source triangulation as an evaluative strategy: rather than simply accepting datasets at face value, it examines how the original data collectors themselves combined multiple credible surveys (e.g., Demographic and Health Surveys, Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys) to strengthen validity — and then applies the same logic to assess whether the resulting secondary data is trustworthy for a new research purpose.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a focused introduction defining the public health problem and presenting key statistics. Three parallel body sections each evaluate one dataset using the same criteria. A brief conclusion synthesizes lessons learned about secondary data use in research. The structure is straightforward and replicable, making it a useful model for comparative dataset evaluation assignments at the undergraduate level.
Introduction: Maternal Mortality as a Public Health Issue
The public health issue selected for analysis is maternal mortality. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines maternal mortality as death during pregnancy or within 42 days of a pregnancy's termination due to causes related to the pregnancy's management (Hoyert, 2022). Maternal mortality rates are measured by the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births (Hoyert, 2022). In 2020, the maternal mortality rate in the US was 23.8 per 100,000 live births, up from 20.1 per 100,000 live births in 2019 (Hoyert, 2022). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 861 women died of maternal causes in the US in 2020, up from 754 in 2019 (Hoyert, 2022). There are many contributing causes of maternal mortality, including lack of proper antenatal care, failure to obtain influenza vaccination during pregnancy, and failure to sleep under insecticide-treated nets. To analyze the relationship between these causes and maternal mortality, three datasets were obtained and evaluated.
References
CDC. (2022). Vaccination coverage among pregnant women. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from https://data.cdc.gov/Pregnancy-Vaccination/Vaccination-Coverage-among-Pregnant-Women/h7pm-wmjc/data
Hoyert, D. (2022). Maternal mortality rates in the United States, 2020. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/maternal-mortality/2020/E-stat-Maternal-Mortality-Rates-2022.pdf
Schantz-Dunn, J., & Nour, N. (2009). Malaria and pregnancy: A global health perspective. Reviews in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2(3), 186–192.
Tripathy, J. (2013). Secondary data analysis: Ethical issues and challenges. Iranian Journal of Public Health, 42(12), 1478–1479.
World Health Organization. (2021a). Pregnant women sleeping under insecticide-treated nets. Retrieved from )
World Health Organization. (2021b). Antenatal care coverage: At least four visits. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/antenatal-care-coverage-at-least-four-visits
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