Pattern of Deaths among Women of Reproductive Age in Major Autopsy Centres of Capital Cities of the Seven Provinces of Nepal

  • Nuwadatta Subedi Department of Forensic Medicine, Gandaki Medical College Teaching Hospital and Research Center, Gandaki Province, Pokhara, Nepal https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2233-1196
  • Ishwari Sharma Paudel Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Gandaki Medical College Teaching Hospital and Research Center, Gandaki Province, Pokhara, Nepal
  • Santosh Koirala Department of Forensic Medicine, Chitwan Medical College, Bagmati Province, Chitwan, Nepal
  • Dikshanta Pokharel Department of Forensic Medicine, Birat Medical College, Biratnagar, Province 1, Nepal
  • Bibhuti Sharma Department of Forensic Medicine, Rapti Academy of Health Sciences, Dang, Lumbini Province, Nepal
  • Ahana Shrestha Lumbini Provincial Hospital, Lumbini Province, Butwal, Nepal
  • Sujata Panta Hetauda Hospital, Bagmati Province, Hetauda, Nepal
  • Niraj Aryal Seti Provincial Hospital, Karnali Province, Dhandadi, Nepal
  • Rabin Khadka Surkhet Health Service Directorate, Karnali Province, Nepal
  • Sabita Paudel Department of Pharmacology, Gandaki Medical College Teaching Hospital and Research Center, Gandaki Province, Pokhara, Nepal https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9462-8007
DOI: https://doi.org/10.33314/jnhrc.v20i02.4054

Abstract

Background: The females in the reproductive age group are vulnerable to injuries and diseases. There is no reliable evidence of the pattern of deaths in reproductive age group females from Nepal. This study was conducted to explore the patterns of deaths of females of the reproductive age group in Nepal.
Methods: A multicentric quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted among the 611 deceased females of age 15 to 49 years who had undergone medico-legal autopsy in major autopsy centers of the capital cities of seven provinces of Nepal in a duration of one year. The demographic, clinical, and causes of death data were retrieved from the records and analyzed. The intentional and unintentional causes were compared with the marital status, age groups, ethnicity, and deceased of rural and urban communities.
Results: Female reproductive age group deaths constituted 611 (20·64%) of the total autopsies. Suicide was the most common manner of death (413, 67·59%) followed by accident (121, 19·80%). The most common cause of suicide was hanging (258, 62·47%) followed by poisoning (149, 36·08%) whereas road traffic accident (72, 59·5%) was the commonest cause of accidental death. Intentional deaths were associated with higher risk to the females of younger age groups (p<0·001), ethnicity of the hilly region (p<0·001), and unmarried women (p=0·001).
Conclusions: Suicide was the commonest manner of death among the autopsies of females of the reproductive age group in Nepal. Appropriate preventive strategies need to be developed to uplift the overall health, socioeconomic status, and general wellbeing of the females.
Keywords: Accidents; autopsy; injury; reproductive health

Published
2022-11-02
How to Cite
SubediN., Sharma PaudelI., KoiralaS., PokharelD., SharmaB., ShresthaA., PantaS., AryalN., KhadkaR., & PaudelS. (2022). Pattern of Deaths among Women of Reproductive Age in Major Autopsy Centres of Capital Cities of the Seven Provinces of Nepal. Journal of Nepal Health Research Council, 20(02), 412-418. https://doi.org/10.33314/jnhrc.v20i02.4054
Issue
Vol. 20 No. 02 (2022): Issue 55 April-June, 2022
Section
Original Article

Copyright (c) 2022 Nuwadatta Subedi, Ishwari Sharma Paudel, Santosh Koirala, Dikshanta Pokharel, Bibhuti Sharma, Ahana Shrestha, Sujata Panta, Niraj Aryal, Rabin Khadka, Sabita Paudel

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