Secular trends of premarital medical examination in China during 1996 and 2013 / 北京大学学报(医学版)

ABSTRACT

Objective:To describe the secular trends of premarital medical examination ( PME ) in China during 1996 and 2013 and to assess the impacts of national health policies on the PME rate. Methods:The information on marriage and PME for districts and counties in 31 provinces of China was annually collected by the Office for National Maternal & Child Health Statistics of China, and the infor-mation on the health policies was from official governmental websites. According to the main health poli-cies, the calendar years were categorized into 3 periods1996 to 2003 was mandatory PME period;2004 to 2008 was encouraged voluntary PME period; and 2009 to 2013 was free-paid voluntary PME period. Results: During the 18-year period, 284 242 719 people were registered for a marriage in which 107 198 795 were examined, giving the PME rate of 37. 7%. During the mandatory PME period, the rate ranged 52 . 7% -67 . 7% with an average of 60 . 9% ( urban 71 . 5%, and rural 51 . 7%) . In 2004 , the first year when the PME became voluntary, the rate was abruptly dropped to 2. 6%, and thereafter gradually increased to 11 . 5% in 2008 . As the policies of the free-paid voluntary PME were subsequently issued, the rate was quickly increased to 52. 3% (urban 49. 8%, and rural 54. 6%) in 2013. The in-creasing trend was consistently observed both in urban and rural areas, and across East, Middle, West, and Northeast economical regions. However, the rates differed greatly among provinces. In 2013, 5 pro-vinces had rates of >90% ( Guangxi 97 . 5%, Fujian 96 . 0%, Ningxia 95 . 4%, Zhejiang 93 . 4% and Anhui 90. 1%), whereas some provinces were stuck at a low rate, including developed and underdeve-loped provinces/cities. The PME rate in 2013 was 27. 4% for Shanghai, 25. 5% for Guangdong, 12. 4%for Chongqing, 5. 8% for Beijing and 4. 6% for Tianjin. Underdeveloped provinces were Guizhou (6. 4%) and Qinghai (1. 8%). Conclusion:As various national policies to promote voluntary PME were issued, the PME rate was significantly increased after a sharp decline, though it varied greatly by provinces. For provinces with high PME rate, PME-related health benefits need to be evaluated;for provinces with low rate, it is of important practical significance to explore a cost-effective health service model that is likely incorporated with pre-pregnancy examination.