Relaxation of the one child policy and trends in caesarean section rates and birth outcomes in China between 2012 and 2016: observational study of nearly seven million health facility births.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To examine how the relaxation of the one child policy and policies to reduce caesarean section rates might have affected trends over time in caesarean section rates and perinatal and pregnancy related mortality in China.

Design

Observational study.

Setting

China's National Maternal Near Miss Surveillance System (NMNMSS).

Participants

6 838 582 births at 28 completed weeks or more of gestation or birth weight ≥1000 g in 438 hospitals in the NMNMSS between 2012 and 2016.

Main outcome measures

Obstetric risk was defined using a modified Robson classification. The main outcome measures were changes in parity and age distributions and relative frequency of each Robson group, crude and adjusted trends over time in caesarean section rates within each

SUBMITTER: Liang J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5836714 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature