ArticleBMC pediatrics2025
Urban-rural disparity in preterm neonatal mortality in China: a retrospective study.
Article in BMC pediatrics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe neonatal mortality rate (NMR) is a vital indicator for assessing maternal and child health, and preterm birth is one of the leading causes of neonatal mortality. Since 2010, China has implemented multiple maternal and child health policies aimed at reducing neonatal mortality. However, systematic research on urban-rural disparities in neonatal mortality among preterm births remains relatively scarce. In this study, we analyzed the national and subnational cause-specific death rates of preterm neonates in mainland China during 2010 to 2021 to provide data support for the further elimination of neonatal deaths.
methodsIn this retrospective study, we analyzed empirical data on levels and causes of preterm neonatal mortality data from the China Maternal and Child Health Surveillance System to show the cause-specific death rates, birthplaces and treatment levels at the national and subnational levels.
resultsFrom 2010 to 2021, the neonatal mortality rate due to complications of prematurity declined from 289 to 88 per 100,000 live births in rural areas, and from 126 to 41 in urban areas. Although rural rates remained higher, the absolute gap narrowed over time. According to the definitions used in the Maternal and Child Health Surveillance System (MCHSS), live births were registered only for neonates with signs of life who were born at ≥ 28 weeks of gestation or had a birth weight > 1000 g (if gestational age was unavailable), mortality was consistently highest among neonates born at 28 to 31 gestational weeks in both settings. In 2021, 95.5% of preterm neonates in urban areas were born at provincial-level hospitals, compared to 60.2% in rural areas. The proportion of preterm neonates diagnosed at county-level facilities in rural areas dropped from 46.7% to 21.8%, while in urban areas it fell from 6.5% to 2.3%.
conclusionsThis study demonstrates persistent urban-rural disparities in cause-specific mortality and gestational age distribution among preterm neonates. Findings may help local governments develop targeted strategies to further reduce overall neonatal mortality.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.