Local Perceptions of Causes of Death in Rural South Africa: A Comparison of Perceived and Verbal Autopsy Causes of Death

Below:  Concordance (log-log scale) between CSMF determined by VA and respondent reports, in relation to the line of equivalence, for 6,721 deaths in the Agincourt HDSS, South Africa. CSMF=cause-specific mortality fractions; VA= verbal autopsy.

Agreement between informant-perceived and VA-derived causes of death at the individual level was limited, but varied substantially by cause of death. However, agreement at the population level, comparing cause-specific mortality fractions was higher, with the notable exception of bewitchment as a cause. More recent deaths, those in adults aged 15–49 years, deaths outside the home, and those associated with external causes showed higher concordance with InterVA.

Overall, informant perception of causes of death was limited, but depended on informant characteristics and causes of death, and to some extent involved non-biomedical constructs. Understanding discordance between perceived and recognised causes of death is important for public health planning; low community understanding of causes of death may be detrimental to public health. These findings also illustrate the importance of using rigorous and standardised VA methods rather than relying on informants’ reported causes of death.

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