Objective To investigate the relationship between frequencies of prenatal care and neonatal low birth weight (LBW) among women of childbearing age from the rural areas of Shaanxi province.Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted among the childbearing-aged women from the rural areas.Samples were selected through multi stage stratified random sampling method.The childbearing aged women were in pregnancy or having had definite outcomes of pregnancy.Measurement of data was described by median ± standard deviation,and chi square test was used to compare the rates.Neonatal low birth weight and frequencies of prenatal care were dependent variables and independent variables grouped into the generalized Poisson regression model.Confounding factors were under control.Results The overall incidence rate of LBW was 3.75％ among 18 911 rural women of childbearing age during 2010-2013.Frequencies on pregnancy care were up to 15 times (0.70％),with a minimum of 0 (0.70％),an average of 5.65± 2.74 times (including ≥ 10 times accounted for 12.37％;≥7 times accounted for 28.52％;≥5 times accounted for 62.80％ and ＜4 times accounted for 21.49％).After controlling confounding factors,results from the generalized Poisson regression analysis revealed that the difference was statistically significant when compared to the reference group.The incidence of neonatal LBW in the ＜4 group was 1.61 times of the one in the ＞7 group (OR=1.61,95％CI:1.31-2.00) while in the ＜4 group it was 1.23 times of the 4-7 group (OR=1.23,95％ CI:1.04-1.45).Conclusion In the rural areas of Shaanxi province,the incidence of neonatal LBW was gradually reduced through the increasing number of frequencies on prenatal care,among women of childbearing age.

Objective To understand the prevalence of hypertension and quantitative relationship between family history and the risk of hypertension among rural residents living in Hanzhong District,Shaanxi province.Methods A multistage random sampling survey was conducted.Data on the characteristics related to hypertension were collected and physical examination was conducted.Logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between family history and hypertension.Results A total number of 2 817 rural residents aged 18-80 with complete information were recruited.The crude prevalence of hypertension was 33.7％.Results from the logistic regression analysis showed that the OR was 2.06 (95％ CI:1.70-2.50) between family histories with or without hypertension.When the first-degree relatives were with the degrees of family history of hypertention as Ⅰ,Ⅱ or llⅢ,the OR values of hypertension appeared as 1.83 (95％C1:1.47-2.27),2.94 (95％CI:2.09-4.13) and 4.48 (95％ CI:2.17-9.27) respectively.Either father or mother having the positive family history of hypertension,the corresponding OR values appeared as 2.50 (95％ CI:1.84-3.40),1.61(95％CI:1.22-2.12) seen in mothers.However,when both father and mother having the family history of hypertention,the OR value was seen 2.82 (95％CI:1.76-4.51) in the mothers.Conclusion Family history appeared as a risk factor for hypertension.The number of first-degree relatives with positive family history showed a dose-response relationship to the occurrence of hypertension.Family history in both father or mother might further affect the incidence of hypertension.

Objective To understand the prevalence of prenatal supplementations of iron, iron-containing multi-micronutrients (IMMN) and antianemic Chinese patent medicines (ACPM) and associated factors in women in Shaanxi province. Methods A sample of 28367 childbearing-age women who gave birth during 2010-2013 and had specific information of the prenatal nutrients supplementation were recruited using stratified multistage cluster random sampling in Shaanxi province. The information about their basic characteristics and prenatal supplementation of nutrients were collected by a questionnaire survey. Descriptive analysis method was used to analyze the intake rate of iron, IMMN and ACPM during each period of pregnancy, and logistic regression model was used to identify associated factors. Results The overall prevalence of prenatal iron, IMMN and ACPM supplementation was low (28.99%), and the intake rate of iron was the lowest (5.33%). The prevalence of prenatal supplementation of iron, IMMN and ACPM were lower before pregnancy and in the first trimester than in the second and third trimester. The intake rates for consecutive 2 periods were very low (all were lower than 2.00%). The intake rates of iron, IMMN and ACPM significantly increased year by year. Women living in central Shaanxi had relatively high intake rates of iron (7.22%) and IMMN (16.55%), and women in southern Shaanxi had relatively high intake rate of ACPM (18.50%). The results of logistic regression analysis showed that higher educational level(OR=1.920, 95%CI: 1.617-2.279), antenatal care times≥6 (OR=1.832, 95%CI: 1.604-2.091), etc. were the positive factors for iron intake, and these positive factors were similar to those for IMMN intake. Additionally, rural residence was the negative factor for IMMN intake (compared with urban residence, OR=0.872, 95%CI:0.788-0.966). Conversely, higher educational level (OR=0.855, 95%CI:0.746-0.979), higher household income (OR=0.864, 95%CI: 0.796-0.938) were negative factors for ACPM intake, and rural residence was its positive factor (OR=1.285, 95% CI: 1.141-1.447). Conclusions The prevalence of prenatal supplementation of iron, IMMN and ACPM were low in women in Shaanxi, especially the intake rate of iron was the lowest. The prophylactic iron supplementation before pregnancy or in the first trimester was rare. Measures should be taken to improve the prenatal supplementation of iron in Shaanxi and to standardize the clinical use of ACPM.