Evaluation of the suicide registration system in Maputo and Matola, Mozambique, 2016-2018

Abstract

Introduction: Suicide is a major public health problem worldwide and a major cause of death in young adults. Mozambique had one the highest suicide rate in Africa with 23.2 suicides per 100 000 inhabitants. We aimed to evaluate the Suicide Registration System in the cities of Maputo and Matola (SRSMM) to have an overview of the system and to assess the suicide burden in the population. Methods: We extracted data from the “external cause” death registration system, available at the Legal Medicine Service at the Maputo Central Hospital (LMS/HCM) from 2016 to 2018.The evaluation was based on the updated CDC guidelines. Results: The SRSMM is a complex system with multiple data sources. It is a system with excellent data quality (96.2% complete), is representative (87.5% coverage) and is useful for identifying the cause of death. The system remained stable throughout the analysis period, except for 4 months in 2017, during which did not register deaths. From 2016 to 2018, 289 registered suicide cases were analyzed. A total of 219 (75.8%) were men aged 20-39. The most common suicide method was hanging, with 249 cases (86.2%). Conclusion: Though the SRSMM is a complex system, it has good data quality, is representative, and is useful for improving vital statistics and identifying risk groups. The findings of this evaluation demonstrate the need to add key variables on the system that can allow meaningful analysis on risk factors and interventions; and to expand the system nationally in order to have an overview of the severity of suicide.