Association of education and the occurrence of low birthweight in rural southern China during the early and late 1990s

Objectives. We examined whether education-related inequalities were associated with the occurrence of low birthweight in 6 counties in southern China in the early and late 1990s. Methods. The study population consisted of 111181 women (65669 in the early 1990s and 45482 in the late 1990s) in a population-based Perinatal Health Care Surveillance System. We used the [chi square] test, logistic regression, and concentration index for our analyses. Results. From the early to late 1990s, the mean maternal education level increased significantly, and the percentage of low-birthweight births declined among all groups, for both male and female births, and at all levels of the mother's education. Relative to those with less than 9 years of formal education, there was a decreasing risk of low birthweight among those with 9 to 11 years of formal education (range in adjusted odds ratio=0.69-0.82) and with 12 or more years of formal education (range in adjusted odds ratio=0.51-0.74). Between the early and late 1990s, the concentration index changed from -0.0778 to -0.0656 for male births and from -0.0717 to -0.0813 for female births. Conclusions. Education-related inequalities associated with low birthweight persisted from the early to the late 1990s in surveyed areas. (Am J Public Health. 2008;98:687-691. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2006.088716)