Adverse birth outcomes in Guangdong province, China, 2014–2017: a spatiotemporal analysis of 2.9 million births

• Published in: BMJ open Vol. 9; no. 11; p. e030629
• Main Authors: Miao, Huazhang, Li, Bing, Li, Wu, Yao, Fei, Chen, Yuliang, Chen, Ruyin, Lin, Jiumin, Wu, Yuntao, Guo, Pi, Zhao, Qingguo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BMJ Publishing Group LTD 01.11.2019; BMJ Publishing Group
• Subjects: Adult; Air pollution; Babies; Birth weight; Childbirth & labor; China; Cohort Studies; Epidemiology; Female; Humans; Infant, Low Birth Weight; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature; Male; Mortality; Newborn babies; Outdoor air quality; Pregnancy; Premature birth; Premature Birth - epidemiology; Public Health; Seasonal variations; Seasons; Spatio-Temporal Analysis; Trends; Young Adult; China; Pearl River (China); preterm birth; low birth weight; small for gestational age; spatial; temporal
• DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-030629
• ISSN: 2044-6055

ObjectivesAdverse birth outcomes pose a great threat to the public health and bring a heavy burden of disease in China. A comprehensive examination of the temporal and spatial trends of preterm birth (PTB), low birth weight (LBW) and small for gestational age (SGA) epidemics can provide some elementary information for subsequent aetiological and epidemiological studies. This study aimed to characterise the spatiotemporal features of PTB, LBW and SGA based on a large cohort of live births in China.DesignSpatiotemporal descriptive analysis was performed in Guangdong province, China, from 2014 to 2017.SettingData involving 2 917 098 live births in Guangdong province, China from 2014 to 2017 was collected from Guangdong Birth Certificate System. Information was collected, including the date of birth, gestational age in week, birth weight, sex of the infant, age of the mother and registered residence of the mother.ResultsThe estimated rate of PTB, LBW and SGA was 4.16%, 4.14% and 12.86%, respectively. For temporal trends, the rates of PTB, LBW and SGA showed seasonal fluctuations, especially for LBW and SGA. In addition, there were regional differences in the rates of PTB, LBW and SGA between the Pearl River Delta and Non-Pearl River Delta regions. From 2014 to 2017, the high rates of PTB and LBW expanded from the Pearl River Delta region to the Non-Pearl River Delta regions. However, compared with the Pearl River Delta region, the rate of SGA was higher in the Non-Pearl River Delta regions on the whole.ConclusionThe findings of this study contribute to the understanding of the aetiology and epidemiology of PTB, LBW and SGA in south China.