摘要：Background This study was one of a set of verbal/social autopsy (VASA) investigations undertaken by the WHO/UNICEF–supported Child Health Epidemiology Reference Group to estimate the causes and determinants of neonatal and child deaths in high priority coun- tries. The study objective was to help explain the lack of decrease in neonatal mortality in Niger from 2007 to 2010, a period during which child mortality was decreasing. Methods VASA interviews were conducted of a random sample of 453 neonatal deaths identified by the 2010 Niger National Mortal- ity Survey (NNMS). Causes of death were determined by expert al- gorithm analysis, and the prevalence of household, community and health system determinants were examined along the continuum of maternal and newborn care, the Pathway to Survival for newborn illnesses, and an extended pathway for maternal complications. The social autopsy findings were compared to available data for survivors from the same cohort collected by the NNMS and the 2012 Niger Demographic and Health Survey.
