[Mortality of women of child-bearing age in Costa Rica, 1987-1989].

The purpose of this descriptive study was to detect regional differences in the mortality of women 15 to 44 years of age, especially mortality due to preventable causes. The regions studied corresponded to the health regions of Costa Rica. The deaths of women 15 to 24, 25 to 34, and 35 to 44 recorded from 1987 to 1989 in the National Deaths Register were classified as due to preventable causes or nonpreventable causes and grouped by region. The nationwide mortality rate for women 15 to 44 years of age was 6.9 per 10,000 women. The highest rates were recorded in the Huetar Atlántica (10.05) and Brunca (8.29) regions, and the lowest in the West Central region (4.38). Some 44.4% of the deaths were preventable, mainly by secondary prevention measures or a mix of measures. The lowest proportions of preventable mortality were found in the North Central and Brunca regions (35.2% and 36.7%, respectively), and the highest in the West Central (64.7%). The nonpreventable deaths mostly corresponded to causes not easily avoided and to the remainder of causes not included under other headings of the Taucher International Classification. Ill-defined causes represented 1.2% of total deaths in the study period. Almost all the peripheral regions showed higher mortality than the central plateau, which may be because of their lesser degrees of socioeconomic and infrastructure development and of access to health services. Another influence may be the more subordinate status of women in rural areas. This situation can be changed by making better use of available resources and improving the quality of services. It is recommended that this type of study be continued in order to monitor trends in women's mortality.