Civil Registration & Vital Statistics in Population Health (Coursera)

You will learn about how CRVS data can be used to inform population-level decision-making, including around specific methods such as medical certification of cause of death (MCCOD) and verbal autopsy, and the application of a gender and equity lens to data systems to ensure they are responsive to the needs of populations. Our overarching goals for the course are to support the collection of country-level death and birth data, to improve the use of data to inform policy priorities, track trends, and plan interventions, and enhance monitoring of major risk factors for early death, especially from noncommunicable diseases.
The course is the result of a collaboration among multiple partners, including Vital Strategies, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the CDC Foundation, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Global Health Advocacy Incubator, and University of New South Wales, Sydney. This course was funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, with co-funding from the Australian government and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

What you'll learn

• Define the importance of CRVS and the challenges associated with collecting data on birth, death, and cause of death.
• Explain the core functions of civil registration and vital statistics, as well as the formats in which they are implemented.
• Consider how to strengthen CRVS and address data quality issues, using cause of death interventions as an example.
• Understand the importance of using equity and gender-transformative approaches to CRVS to ensure that everyone is counted and no one is left behind.

Syllabus

Using Data Systems to Count Births, Deaths, and Causes of Death
Challenges in Civil Registration and Vital Statistics