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Sex designations on birth certificates offer no clinical utility, and they can be harmful for intersex and transgender people. Moving such designations below the line of demarcation wouldn’t compromise the birth certificate’s public health function but could avoid harm.

The study presents legal regulations and jurisprudence concerning the transfer of the content (transcription) of foreign civil status documents in the event that same-sex persons are indicated in the marriage certificate (as spouses) or in the birth certificate (as parents). In recent years, refusal to transcribe this type of civil status records has increasingly become the subject of decisions of administrative courts. The refusal to transcribe a foreign document due to its inconsistency with the fundamental principles of the Polish legal order remains a contentious issue. The assessment of the admissibility of the transcription of the certificate of marriage contracted between persons of the same sex is closely related to the admissibility of registration of such relationships in a given state. In Polish legislation, the only form of recognition of the relationship of two people between whom there is an emotional, physical and economic bond is marriage. The marriage certificate is the only proof of entering into a legal relationship recognized in Poland. Therefore, it is not possible to transcribe the certificate of marriage contracted abroad between persons of the same sex. With regard to birth certificates in which persons of the same sex are indicated as parents, it is first of all necessary to secure the rights of the child as a Polish citizen to obtain a Polish identity document or passport. Obtaining these documents can under no circumstances be made conditional on the transcription of a foreign birth certificate.

Background Studies have indicated that the risk of death on the first day of life (day 0) was higher than risk of death during other periods (days 1 to 6 and 7 to 27). However, little is known about whether the pattern of mortality trends on day 0 differs from those on days 1 to 6 and 7 to 27. We aimed in this study to examine NMRs trends by age at death in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Methods In this cross-sectional study, we calculated NMRs (deaths per 1000 live births) by age at death from 2005 to 2021 in Japan, 2005 to 2022 in Korea, and 2005 to 2023 in Taiwan. Joinpoint regression model was used to estimate the annual percent change (APC) for each segment of the trend in NMRs to examine whether the trend changed significantly. Results A slowdown of decreasing trend on days 0 to 27 was observed from 2015 to 2021 with APC of − 4.3% to − 1.5% in Japan and from 2008 to 2018 with APC of − 8.5% to − 1.4% in Korea. In contrast, an initial decline followed by an increase pattern of trend was noted in Taiwan with APC of − 2.5% from 2005 to 2014 to 2.1% from 2014 to 2023. In Japan, the slowdown was mainly due to the levelling-off in the decline in NMRs for days 1 to 6. In Korea, the slowdown was mainly attributed to the levelling-off in the decline in NMRs for days 7 to 27. In Taiwan, the prominent change was primarily due to the changes in day 0 NMRs. Conclusions Further analyses are needed to explore potential factors associated with the particular pattern of trends of NMRs at specific age-at-death group. Neonatal mortality on the first day of life is not an appropriate indicator of neonatal care quality, as it may be influenced by artifacts related to birth certification practices.

Background Epidemiological research of events related to labor and delivery frequently uses maternal interview or birth certificates as a primary method of data collection; however, the validity of these data are rarely confirmed. This study aimed to examine the validity of birth certificate data and maternal interview of maternal demographics and events related to labor and delivery with data abstracted from medical records in a US setting. Methods Birth certificate and maternal recall data from the Iowa Health in Pregnancy Study (IHIPS), a population-based case-control study of risk factors for preterm and small-for-gestational age births, were linked to medical record data to assess the validity of events that occurred during labor and delivery along with reported maternal demographics. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and kappa scores were calculated. Results Postpartum maternal recall and birth certificate data were excellent for infant characteristics (birth weight, gestational age, infant sex) and variables related to labor and delivery (mode of delivery) when compared with medical records. Birth certificate data for labor induction had low sensitivity (46.3%) and positive predictive value (18.3%) compared to medical records. Compared to maternal interview, birth certificate data also had poor agreement for smoking and alcohol use during pregnancy. Agreement between all three methods of data collection was very low for pregnancy weight gain (kappa = 0.07-0.08). Conclusions Maternal interview and birth certificate data can be a valid source for collecting data on infant characteristics and events that occurred during labor and delivery. However, caution should be used if solely using birth certificate data to gather data on maternal demographic and/or lifestyle factors.

Population-based databases are valuable for perinatal research. The California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) created a linked birth file covering the years 1991 through 2012. This file includes birth and fetal death certificate records linked to the hospital discharge records of the birthing person and infant. In 2019, the University of California Study of Outcomes in Mothers and Infants received approval to create similar linked birth files for births from 2011 onward, with 2 years of overlapping birth files to allow for linkage comparison. This paper aims to describe the University of California Study of Outcomes in Mothers and Infants linkage methodology, examine the linkage quality, and discuss the benefits and limitations of the approach. Live birth and fetal death certificates were linked to hospital discharge records for California infants between 2005 and 2020. The linkage algorithm includes variables such as birth hospital and date of birth, and linked record selection is made based on a \"link score.\" The complete file includes California Vital Statistics and HCAI hospital discharge records for the birthing person (1 y before delivery and 1 y after delivery) and infant (1 y after delivery). Linkage quality was assessed through a comparison of linked files and California Vital Statistics only. Comparisons were made to previous linked birth files created by the HCAI for 2011 and 2012. Of the 8,040,000 live births, 7,427,738 (92.38%) California Vital Statistics live birth records were linked to HCAI records for birthing people, 7,680,597 (95.53%) birth records were linked to HCAI records for the infant, and 7,285,346 (90.61%) California Vital Statistics birth records were linked to HCAI records for both the birthing person and the infant. The linkage rates were 92.44% (976,526/1,056,358) for Asian and 86.27% (28,601/33,151) for Hawaiian or Pacific Islander birthing people. Of the 44,212 fetal deaths, 33,355 (75.44%) had HCAI records linked to the birthing person. When assessing variables in both California Vital Statistics and hospital records, the percentage was greatest when using both sources: the rates of gestational diabetes were 4.52% (329,128/7,285,345) in the California Vital Statistics records, 8.2% (597,534/7,285,345) in the HCAI records, and 9.34% (680,757/7,285,345) when using both data sources. We demonstrate that the linkage strategy used for this data platform is similar in linkage rate and linkage quality to the previous linked birth files created by the HCAI. The linkage provides higher rates of crucial variables, such as diabetes, compared to birth certificate records alone, although selection bias from the linkage must be considered. This platform has been used independently to examine health outcomes, has been linked to environmental datasets and residential data, and has been used to obtain and examine maternal serum and newborn blood spots.

Background The birth of a child is a vital event that needs to be registered but this is not always the case as an estimated 40 million births go unregistered annually. Birth registration safeguards the basic rights of children and gives them an identity, citizenship/nationality and legal protection against violence, abuse and human rights violations. It is therefore necessary that all births are registered and even more critical that the registration of a birth is followed by the issuance of a birth certificate. But sadly, birth registration in many African countries continues to remain below acceptable international standards and not all registered births are certified. This paper examined birth registration and certification in Ghana. Differentials in the characteristics of children and mothers of children whose births are registered and certified, children whose births are registered but not certified and children whose births are not registered were examined. Methods This paper analysed data from the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey drawing on variables from the household and children’s data files. Descriptive analytical tools (frequencies, percentage and cross tabulations) and multinomial logistic regression analysis were used to examine differentials in birth registration status among an analytical sample of 3880 (weighted) children aged 0–4 years. Results The birth of about every 1 in 4 (28.89%) children in Ghana have never been registered. Birth registration and certification was lowest among children born to young mothers (15–19 years), children whose mothers have no formal education, mothers who reside in rural areas and mothers in the poorest wealth quintile. Additionally, home births and births that were not assisted by a medical professional were observed to have the lowest proportion of registered and certified births. Furthermore, the birth of children who are less than a year old was significantly more likely not to be registered or issued with a birth certificate. Conclusion Efforts aimed at improving birth registration and certification in Ghana need to target groups of children and mothers with low levels of registration and certification particularly children who are born at home, children born to young mothers and children whose mothers are poor and or reside in rural areas.

Background Despite many efforts to provide children with legal existence over the last decades, 1 in 4 children under the age of 5 (166 million) do not officially exist, with limited possibility to enjoy their human rights. In Latin America and the Caribbean, Haiti has one of the highest rates of undocumented births. This study aimed to analyze the prevalence and the determinant factors of undocumented childhood in Haiti. Methods For analysis of undocumented childhood and related socioeconomic determinants, data from the 2016/17 Haiti demographic and health survey were used. The prevalence and the associated factors were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the binary logistic regression model. Results The prevalence of undocumented childhood in Haiti was 23% (95% CI: 21.9–24.0) among children under-five. Among the drivers of undocumented births, mothers with no formal education (aOR = 3.88; 95% CI 2.21–6.81), children aged less than 1 year (aOR = 20.47; 95% CI 16.83–24.89), children adopted or in foster care (aOR = 2.66; 95% CI 1.67–4.24), children from the poorest regions like “Artibonite” (aOR = 2.19; 95% CI 1.63–2.94) or “Centre” (aOR = 1.51; 95% CI 1.09–2.10) or “Nord-Ouest” (aOR = 1.61; 95% CI 1.11–2.34), children from poorest households (aOR = 6.25; 95% CI 4.37–8.93), and children whose mothers were dead (aOR = 2.45; 95% CI 1.33–4.49) had higher odds to be undocumented. Conclusion According to our findings, there is an institutional necessity to bring birth documentation to underprivileged households, particularly those in the poorest regions where socioeconomic development programs are also needed. Interventions should focus on uneducated mothers who are reknown for giving birth outside of medical facilities. Therefore, an awareness campaign should be implemented to influence the children late-registering behavior.

Birth registration is a child's basic legal and social right that grants them presence and security in their lifetime. However, it was initiated very recently, and its magnitude has not been well examined in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study assessed the magnitude of birth registration of children under two years old in Southwestern Ethiopia. This community-based cross-sectional study was conducted on randomly selected 689 mothers or caregivers who had children less than 24 months from 15 April 2023 to 05 June 2023. The study was carried out in Bench Sheko Zone, located in the South West Region of Ethiopia. Face-to-face interviews were used to collect data. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to determine the factors associated with birth registration. In this study, 26.4%, 95% CI (23.2–29.6%) children were registered for birth. Mothers/caregivers who had a notification about birth registration and certification during pregnancy (AOR = 21.8, 95% CI 11.7–40.9) and information about birth registration after delivery (AOR = 3.9, 95% CI 1.4–11.3) were more likely to register for birth and certification compared to their counterparts while mothers/caregivers who had lower income and poor knowledge were less likely to register for birth and certification of their children. The region's current birth registration rate is low, with only one-fourth of all births registered. Birth notification, information about birth registration, knowledge and income level were all significant predictors of registration. Key strategies such as improving information dissemination, promoting institutional deliveries, empowering economic capacity, and increasing community engagement for improving the current birth registration level are needed to ensure that every child's birth is officially recognized. Subsequently, this will establish a foundation for achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Objective: We aimed to develop an algorithm that accurately identifies children with Down syndrome (DS) using administrative data. Methods: We identified a cohort of children born between 2000 and 2017, enrolled in the Tennessee Medicaid Program (TennCare), who either had DS coded on their birth certificate or had a diagnosis listed using an International Classification of Diseases (ICD) code (suspected DS), and who received care at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, a comprehensive academic medical center, in the United States. Children with suspected DS were defined as having DS if they had (a) karyotype-confirmed DS indicated on their birth certificate; (b) karyotype-pending DS indicated on their birth certificate (or just DS if test type was not specified) and at least two healthcare encounters for DS during the first 6 years of life; or (c) at least three healthcare encounters for DS, with the first and last encounter separated by at least 30 days, during the first six years of life. The positive predictive value (PPV) of the algorithm and 95% confidence interval (CI) were reported. Results: Of the 411 children with suspected DS, 354 (86.1%) were defined as having DS by the algorithm. According to medical chart review, the algorithm correctly identified 347 children with DS (PPV = 98%, 95%CI: 96.0–99.0%). Of the 57 children the algorithm defined as not having DS, 50 (97.7%, 95%CI: 76.8–93.9%) were confirmed as not having DS by medical chart review. Conclusions: An algorithm that accurately identifies individuals with DS using birth certificate data and/or ICD codes provides a valuable tool to study DS using administrative data.

Enumerations of people were carried out long before the birth of Jesus. Data related to births were recorded in church registers in England as early as the 1500s. However, not until the 1902 Act of Congress was the Bureau of Census established as a permanent agency to develop birth registration areas and a standard registration system. Although all states had birth records by 1919, the use of the standardized version was not uniformly adopted until the 1930's. In the 1989 US Standard Birth Certificate revision, the format was finally uniformly adopted to include checkboxes to improve data quality and completeness. The evolution of the 12 federal birth certificate revisions is reflected in the growth of the number of items from 33 in 1900 to more than 60 items in the 2003 birth certificate. As birth registration has moved from paper to electronic, the birth certificate's potential utility has broadened, yet issues with updating the electronic format and maintaining quality data continue to evolve. Understanding the birth certificate within its historical context allows for better insight as to how it has been and will continue to be used as an important public-health document shaping medical and public policies.