Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42902267›Full record

ArticleInternational journal for equity in health2026

Socioeconomic transitions and the spatial dynamics of syphilis transmission in urbanizing China.

Chengcheng Li, Hanxi Zhang, Jinfeng Li, Ximan Ye, Shangcheng Zhou, Xiaojie Lao, Maowei Chen

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal for equity in health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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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.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Chengcheng LiHumanities and Management School, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310001, China.
Hanxi ZhangWHO Collaborating Centre for Comprehensive Management of HIV Treatment and Care, Beijing Ditan Hospital Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100015, China.
Jinfeng LiInfectious Diseases Department, Wuming Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, No. 26 Yongning Road, Wuming District, Nanning, Guangxi, 530199, China.
Ximan YeInfectious Diseases Department, Wuming Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, No. 26 Yongning Road, Wuming District, Nanning, Guangxi, 530199, China.
Shangcheng ZhouHumanities and Management School, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310001, China.
Xiaojie LaoDepartment of Infectious Disease, Beijing Ditan Hospital Capital Medical University, NO. 8 Jingshun East Street, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100015, China. xiaojielao@126.com.ORCID 0009-0009-4675-6480
Maowei ChenInfectious Diseases Department, Wuming Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, No. 26 Yongning Road, Wuming District, Nanning, Guangxi, 530199, China. chenmaowei2008@163.com.ORCID 0000-0001-8673-4328

Funding

Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region People's Hospital, Hospital Youth Fund, QN2021-20Health Commission of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Self-funded research project Z-A20250095Project Supported by Scientific Research Fund of Zhejiang Provincial Education Department Y202557786Research Project Funding from the School of Humanities and Management, Zhejiang Chinese Medicine university yjkt202504the project 2024 Guangxi Appropriate Technology Development and Promotion of Traditional Chinese Medicine GZSY2024060the Science and Technology Project of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Center for Disease Control and Prevention GXJKKJ2026YB002
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSyphilis remains a re-emerging sexually transmitted infection in China, with transmission increasingly shaped by regional socioeconomic disparities. Understanding spatial heterogeneity and inter-provincial inequality is essential for equitable disease control.

methodsA balanced panel dataset of syphilis incidence was constructed across 31 provinces in mainland China from 2004 to 2020. Temporal trends were stratified by age and disease stage using joinpoint regression analysis. Spatial clustering patterns of syphilis incidence were evaluated through Global Moran's I and Local Moran's I statistics. To disentangle the socioeconomic determinants of spatial inequality, the Spatial Durbin Model (SDM) for regional spillovers and Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression (MGWR) were employed to detect structural heterogeneity in risk factors associated with a regime shift external shocks (the Global Financial Crisis and COVID-19).

resultsSyphilis incidence rose substantially (AAPC = 10.69%), driven predominantly by a surge in latent infections among the elderly (≥ 65 years). Spatially, the epidemic exhibited a distinct "westward shift" from affluent coastal regions to the less-developed Northwest. The SDM indicated that economic growth and population mobility generally increased risk, while educational investment exerted a robust protective spillover effect. Crucially, MGWR revealed a deepening spatial inequity in risk mechanisms: Specifically, the 2008 Financial Crisis associated with a regime shift in the less-developed Northwest, transitioning the epidemic from a "wealth-driven" model to a "poverty-driven" risk model. Furthermore, The COVID-19 pandemic inverted the role of transportation, shifting it from a protective factor associated with urban resilience into a primary vector for disease diffusion.

conclusionsSyphilis transmission in China exhibits clear spatial stratification, where the burden is increasingly shifting to resource-constrained regions. The divergence between consumption-based risk in developed areas and survival-based risk in underdeveloped hinterlands underscores how macroeconomic instability amplifies health inequalities Equity-oriented interventions must prioritize "poverty-driven" transmission pathways and vulnerable older populations to prevent the entrenchment of disease in lagging regions.

Indexed as

SyphilisUrbanizationChinaCOVID-19HumansIncidenceRisk FactorsSARS-CoV-2Socioeconomic Disparities in HealthSocioeconomic FactorsEconomyEducationPopulation mobilitySpatial dynamicsSyphilis

Identifiers

PMID42902267
PMCPMC13682149

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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.