Open AccessBirth weight changes in a major city under rapid socioeconomic transition in China
Author(s) -
Jianxing He,
Weidong Li,
Ming Lü,
Yong Guo,
Fanfan Chan,
Jinhua Lu,
Lifang Zhang,
ShiLi Shen,
Xiaoyan Xia,
Ping Wang,
Wenjian Mo,
Hubert Lam,
Jane E. Hirst,
Huimin Xia,
Xiu Qiu
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
scientific reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.24
H-Index - 213
ISSN - 2045-2322
DOI - 10.1038/s41598-017-01068-w
Subject(s) - birth weight , poisson regression , gestational age , demography , incidence (geometry) , medicine , socioeconomic status , confidence interval , small for gestational age , population , low birth weight , pediatrics , pregnancy , environmental health , biology , genetics , physics , sociology , optics
Estimates of trends in birth weight may be useful in evaluating population health. We aimed to determine whether temporal changes in birth weight have occurred amongst 2.3 million neonates born in Guangzhou, China, during 2001–2015 and investigate the socioeconomic determinants of any changes. Trends in mean birth weight and annualized changes with the associated 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in the incidence of small for gestational age (SGA) and large for gestational age (LGA), defined as birth weight <10 th or >90 th centile respectively for gestational age and sex, were examined using linear and Poisson regression models. We found that mean birth weight declined by 1.07 grams/year from 2001 to 2015. After adjustment for gestational length, the decline in birth weight was attenuated (0.37 grams/year). The incidence of both SGA and LGA significantly decreased during the study period (annual decrease of 1.6% [95% CI, 1.5% to 1.7%] for SGA, 1.6% [95% CI, 1.5% to 1.8%] for LGA). We found a narrowing of disparities in SGA and LGA incidence across different maternal educational levels and residence location. Our results demonstrate that there has been an increase in the proportion of neonates born in the healthy birth weight range in Guangzhou.