[Under-5-mortality rate and causes of death in China, 2000 to 2010].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the changes and the leading cause of deaths for children under 5 years old, in China, during 2000 - 2010, with the aim of evaluation on the progress in achieving the relative goal set by "National Program of Action for Child Development in China (2001 - 2010)", and understanding the related challenges. METHODS: Data used in this study were collected from the population-based National Maternal and Child's Health Surveillance Network of China. Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), Under-5-mortality rate (U5MR) and the leading cause of deaths for under-5 children were analyzed. RESULTS: Nationwide IMR and U5MR in 2010 dropped by 59.3% and 58.7% respectively, compared to that in 2000. Decreases by 50.8% and 47.1% in IMR and U5MR were observed in urban areas, and 56.5% and 56.0% in rural areas during this period. Compared with data from 2000, the leading causes-specific U5MR in 2010 had significantly declined. The top 5 leading causes of death in 2010 were premature birth/low birth weight, pneumonia, birth asphyxia, congenital heart disease and accidental suffocation, but were different in urban and rural areas. In 2010, both IMR and U5MR from the rural areas were 2.8-folds than that of the urban areas. In addition, IMRs in the Middle and Western parts of China were 1.5 and 2.3-folds respectively of that in the East, and U5MR in Middle and West was 1.5 and 2.2-folds respectively of that in East. CONCLUSION: IMR, U5MR and the leading causes specific mortality rate in China declined remarkably from 2000 to 2010, and the goal set by "National Program of Action for Child Development in China (2001 - 2010)" had been successfully achieved. However, the disparity on child's health in regions and in urban or rural areas, still remained a challenge.

[Incidence and its trends on gastroschisis in some parts of China, 1996 - 2007].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence and its secular trends of gastroschisis in Chinese perinatal infants. METHODS: Data on perinatal infants was collected at hospitals under surveillance program in Chinese Birth Defects Monitoring Network from 1996 to 2007. Data on incidence, trend and related factors of gastroschisis in perinatal infants were carried out. Both χ(2) test and Poisson regression model were used to test the differences between residential areas, sex and maternal age. Both χ(2) trends test and Poisson regression model were applied to analyze the trends. RESULTS: A total of 6 308 594 perinatal infants were monitored during 1996 - 2007, including 1601 infants with gastroschisis to show the incidence as 2.54 per 10 000 births. The overall prevalence of gastroschisis in China did not change remarkably during the period of our research. The incidence rates of gastroschisis were significantly different between urban and rural areas, between different sex and different maternal age groups. The incidence of gastroschisis was lower in urban area than in rural area (RR = 0.58) and lower in female fetuses than in male fetuses (RR = 0.76), highest in the group younger than 20 years of age, which was 11.43 times than incidence of the 30 - 34 age group (RR = 11.432). CONCLUSION: The overall prevalence of gastroschisis in China did not show remarkable change during 1996 - 2007 but the incidence of gastroschisis a bit increased in the area of study and significant differences were seen in different sex, regions and maternal age groups. Mothers aged younger than 20 years old appeared to be a significant risk factor for the occurrence of gastroschisis.