Fertility policy changes, maternal and foetal characteristics and birth timing patterns at a tertiary referral centre in Beijing: a ten-year retrospective study

作者：Dehui Wang, Tao Wei, Fei Zhao, Jing Huang · 发表于：BMJ Open · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1136/bmjopen-2023-076987 · 被引用次数：11 · 研究领域：Maternal and Perinatal Health Interventions、Global Maternal and Child Health、Maternal and fetal healthcare

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the impacts of the changing national fertility policy on maternal and fetal characteristics, and birth timing patterns and provide a basis for the management of the obstetric and midwifery workforce. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Data from medical register of a tertiary referral centre in Beijing, China. PARTICIPANTS: We included 20 334 births with a gestational age more than 28 weeks during January 2013-September 2023. MAIN OUTCOMES: The main outcomes included birth numbers, maternal age, parity, birth modes, premature rates, neonatal birth weight, and birth timings. RESULTS: The birth rates showed a general rising trend before 2016. Afterwards, the birth rates kept decreasing and reached the bottom level in 2022. The caesarean section rates showed a declining trend, while the assisted birth rates were progressively rising, especially among primiparous women. From 2013 to 2022, the proportions of multiparous women (increasing from 9.3% to 36.6%) and women with advanced maternal age (increasing from 11.4% to 34.5%) were on the rise, together with increasing rates of premature birth (increasing from 5.7% to 8.5%) and neonatal low birth weight (rising from 4.3% to 7.2%) in this population. This study found a significant peak of births between 14:00 and 15:00, which remained unchanged despite shifts in the fertility policy (p<0.001 and [Formula: see text] values close to 1, respectively). CONCLUSION: The 'three-child' policy ...