Loneliness shapes disparities in healthy life expectancy: a multi-state analysis from China.

Objectives: To assess the influence of loneliness on the healthy life expectancy of older adults in China and its gender disparities across different health indicators, in order to provide insights for enhancing the health status and subjective well-being of the older population.

Method: We conducted a cohort analysis using four waves of weighted samples (2008, 2011, 2014, and 2018) from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, encompassing 15,507 respondents aged 65-99. Physical and subjective health were assessed through activity of daily living (ADL) and self-rated health (SRH), respectively.

Association between short-term daily temperature variability and blood pressure in the Chinese population: From the China hypertension survey.

Background: We aimed to evaluate the impacts of short-term daily temperature variability (DTV) on blood pressure (BP) among participants with normotension, prehypertension, and hypertension, respectively, and explore the effects in different climate zones and seasons.

Methods: A representative population sample (n = 397,173) covering the subtropical, temperate continental, and temperate monsoon zones was obtained from the China Hypertension Survey. DTV was calculated as the standard deviation of daily minimum and maximum temperatures during the exposure days.

Impact of income inequalities on subjective perception of older adult health: An analysis of healthy life expectancy in China from 1997 to 2006.

Aim: Driven by rapid socioeconomic development over recent decades, there are widening income inequalities and subjective health disparities among older adults in China. This study explored the relationship between income inequalities and self-rated healthy life expectancy (HLE) considering potential sex-specific differences.

Methods: From a cohort of 1760 individuals aged ≥60 years from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (1997-2006), we calculated age-specific life expectancy (LE), HLE and the proportion of HLE to LE (HLE/LE) by sex using the IMaCh software, incorporated time-varying income levels of older adults.

Parental and Social Factors' Contribution to Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes with Urban-Rural Disparities - Four Provinces, China, 2011-2020.

What Is Already Known About This Topic?: The prevalence of adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) exhibits a disparity between urban and rural areas, which is commonly associated with various factors, such as demographic and socio-environmental factors. However, the specific contribution of each factor has not yet been elucidated.

What Is Added By This Report?: This study demonstrates that the primary factors contributing to urban-rural differences in the prevalence of APOs are population structure, parental age, parity, and regional development.

Interactive effects of maternal exposure to chemical fertilizer and socio-economic status on the risk of low birth weight.

Background: Maternal exposure to chemical fertilizer and disadvantaged maternal socio-economic status (SES) have been found to associate with increased risk of low birth weight (LBW). However, whether the two factors would interact to elevate the risk of LBW remains unknown. The present study aimed to explore the interactive effects of maternal exposure to chemical fertilizer during pregnancy and low SES on the risk of term LBW (tLBW).

Association between maternal exposure to chemical fertilizer and the risk of birth defects in a rural population in northern China: a population-based study.

Background: Maternal exposure to pesticides during early pregnancy is associated with increased risks of birth defects, while the association between maternal exposure to chemical fertilizer during pregnancy and the risk of birth defects remains unknown.

Methods: Data were from a population-based birth defects surveillance system between 2007 and 2012 in Pingding County, Shanxi Province, northern China. A total of 14 074 births with 235 birth defects were used to estimate spatial clustering and correlations at the village level.

Spatial variation and association between maternal chemical fertilizer exposure and preterm birth in a rural area in Northern China.

Whether maternal macro-environmental chemical fertilizer exposure has an association with the risk of preterm birth remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association between maternal exposure to chemical fertilizer during pregnancy and the risk of preterm birth. A total of 13,861 births, including 402 preterm birth from 313 villages in Pingding County, Shanxi Province, China, were analyzed to explore spatial variations of preterm birth risks at the village level.

Hypertension Prevalence Rates Among Urban and Rural Older Adults of China, 1991-2015: A Standardization and Decomposition Analysis.

The prevalence of hypertension (HTN) among older adults is becoming an important issue in public health in China as it is now stepping into the super-aged society with high pressure of a chronic disease burden. With urban-rural differences in population composition and health facilities, this study aimed to assess the gaps in the prevalence trends of HTN among older adults by considering demographic factors such as age, gender, education level, and regional differences during 1991-2015 in China. We adopted the consistent sampling design and measure of HTN of the cross-longitudinal surveys of the China Health and Nutrition survey, and we compared the HTN prevalence rates between urban and rural older adults by taking each wave of the survey as a cross-sectional sample of the Chinese population by the following and supplementary samples.

Trends of Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes in a High Prevalence Region of Birth Defects - Shanxi Province, China, 2007-2019.

Shanxi Province in northern China has been identified as a region with the highest prevalence of birth defects nationwide. With large amounts of financial support devoted for prevention and related interventions for birth defects, huge progress has been made as a 60% decrease in its prevalence was observed from 2009 to 2014. The study presented a recent trend of adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) in Shanxi Province, a region with high prevalence of birth defects in China from 2007-2019.

[Association between vitamin D deficiency and Toxoplasma gondii infection in women of childbearing age].

Objective: To explore the association between the risk of vitamin D deficiency and the infection of Toxoplasma gondii in women of childbearing age.

Methods: Based on a Women's Reproductive Health Cohort Study performed from 2007 to 2010 in four counties of Henan Province, Toxoplasma gondii infection were tested by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). A total of 1151 women with pregnancy outcomes were followed up and pre-pregnancy vitamin D level was measured with serum samples.

Geographic variations and potential macro-environmental exposure of hypertension: from the China hypertension survey.

Objectives: The study aimed to investigate the spatial variation of hypertension (HTN) and the associations between the risk of HTN and altitude, longitude, latitude in Chinese population.

Methods: The newest China Hypertension Survey (CHS) study, which used a nationally representative sample, was conducted between 2012 and 2015. A total of 451 755 participants aged at least 18 years from 262 county-level regions in 31 provinces were analyzed to explore the geographical variations of HTN prevalence at county-level.

Effect of periconceptional folic acid supplementation on the risk of neural tube defects associated with a previous spontaneous abortion or maternal first-trimester fever.

Study Question: Does maternal periconceptional no folic acid supplementation have an increased risk of neural tube defects (NTDs) associated with previous spontaneous abortion or first-trimester fever?

Summary Answer: Maternal periconceptional no folic acid supplementation can increase the risk of NTDs associated with previous spontaneous abortion or first-trimester fever, independent of known confounding factors.

What Is Known Already: Maternal periconceptional folic acid deficiency can increase the risk of NTDs. However, whether an interaction between periconceptional no folic acid supplementation and history of spontaneous abortion or first-trimester fever may have an increased risk of NTDs remains unknown.

Generational differences in longitudinal blood pressure trajectories by geographic region during socioeconomic transitions in China.

Objectives: To examine generational differences in longitudinal blood pressure trajectories by region following socioeconomic transitions, which is important for establishing the population risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).

Methods: With data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (1991-2011), we used multilevel growth-curve models to estimate systolic/diastolic blood pressure (SBP/DBP) levels at the mean age and rates of change by cohort (born between 1931 and 1980), region, and sex.

Results: Younger cohorts generally had higher SBP/DBP levels at 44.

Periconceptional Multivitamin Supplementation Containing Folic Acid and Sex Ratio at Birth in a Chinese Population: a Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: To determine whether periconceptional use of multivitamin supplements containing folic acid increases the occurrence of male births in a Chinese population.

Methods: A prospective cohort study was carried out in 18 counties in four provinces of China. Participants were naturally and voluntarily divided into an intervention group (who took a multivitamin pill containing folic acid, n = 25,418) and a control group (who did not take any multivitamin, n = 26,580).

[Study on the related factors of prenatal health care among floating women in five cities of China].

Objective: To understand the current status of prenatal health care (PHC) and its related factors for floating women of childbearing age, and to provide evidence for improving the quality of PHC at childbearing age.

Methods: With data from the reproductive health survey on floating population in five cities, Beijing, Nanjing, Xiamen, Shenzhen and Chongqing, in 2005, the distributions of PHC among floating women were described. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to investigate the factors related to the utilization of PHC.

Interaction between the SLC19A1 gene and maternal first trimester fever on offspring neural tube defects.

Background: Many studies have indicated that the reduced folate carrier gene (SLC19A1) is associated with an increased risk of neural tube defects (NTDs). However, the interaction between the SLC19A1 gene variant and maternal fever exposure and NTD risk remains unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the risk for NTDs was influenced by the interactions between the SLC19A1 (rs1051266) variant and maternal first trimester fever.

Association between risk of birth defects occurring level and arsenic concentrations in soils of Lvliang, Shanxi province of China.

The risk of birth defects is generally accredited with genetic factors, environmental causes, but the contribution of environmental factors to birth defects is still inconclusive. With the hypothesis of associations of geochemical features distribution and birth defects risk, we collected birth records and measured the chemical components in soil samples from a high prevalence area of birth defects in Shanxi province, China. The relative risk levels among villages were estimated with conditional spatial autoregressive model and the relationships between the risk levels of the villages and the 15 types of chemical elements concentration in the cropland and woodland soils were explored.

Arsenic levels in the soil and risk of birth defects: a population-based case-control study using GIS technology.

Arsenic is a highly dangerous metal that has been linked to a number of adverse health effects in both adults and children, including birth defects. Yet few epidemiologic studies have examined the relationship between arsenic levels in the soil and the risk of birth defects. The purpose of the authors' study was to examine this association among people exposed to environmental pollution in a developed area of China.

Twenty-year trends in the prevalence of disability in China.

Objective: To evaluate changes in the age-adjusted prevalence of disability in transitional China from 1987 to 2006.

Methods: Data from nationally representative surveys conducted in 1987 and 2006 were used to calculate age-adjusted disability prevalence rates by applying appropriate sample weights and directly adjusting to the age distribution of the 1990 Chinese population. Trends were assessed in terms of average annual percentage change.

Effect of exposure to trace elements in the soil on the prevalence of neural tube defects in a high-risk area of China.

Objective: Our objective is to build a model that explains the association between the exposure to trace elements in the soil and the risk of neural tube defects.

Methods: We built a function with different parameters to describe the effects of trace elements on neural tube defects. The association between neural tube defects and trace element levels was transformed into an optimization problem using the maximum likelihood method.

Spatial analysis of neural tube defects in a rural coal mining area.

Shanxi province in northern China has one of the highest reported prevalence rates of neural tube defects (NTDs) in the world. The current study selected Heshun, the county with the highest rate of NTDs in Shanxi, as a study area and tested whether residence in a coal mining area was a contributing factor. A NTD cluster was detected in an area within 6 km of the coal mines for almost every year during 1998-2005.

Regional variations in and correlates of disability-free life expectancy among older adults in China.

Background: Considerable socioeconomic and health inequalities have been reported in China. However, because of a lack of appropriate data, limited research has been conducted on variations in disability-free life expectancy (DFLE) among older adults. This study aimed to use the most up-to-date disability survey data to explore geographical variations in DFLE at age 60 in China and to identify the socioeconomic and health care factors that partially account for these variations.

Unusual patterns of neural tube defects in a high risk region of northern China.

Objective: To study the prevalence of different types of neural tube defects (NTDs) in Luliang Prefecture, Shanxi province, where the prevalence of NTDs is unusually high and the correlation between NTDs prevalence and patterns.

Methods: A surveillance population-based birth defects was performed in Luliang Prefecture, Shanxi province.

Results: The results of our study showed that the prevalence of NTDs was 2-fold higher in Luliang Prefecture than in other areas of Shanxi province.

Spatiotemporal property analysis of birth defects in Wuxi, China.

Objective: To describe the temporal trends and spatial patterns of birth defects occurring in Wuxi, a developed region of China.

Methods: Wavelet analysis was used to decompose the temporal trends of birth defect prevalence based on the birth defect rates over the past 16 years. Birth defect cases with detailed personal and family information were geo-coded and the relative risk in each village was calculated.

High prevalence of NTDs in Shanxi Province: a combined epidemiological approach.

Background: Shanxi Province has historically reported a high prevalence of NTDs. In order to establish baseline rates for NTDs and discuss the risk factors associated with sociodemographic, maternal characteristics, and geographic factors, we performed the present study using an approach combining population and hospital-based methodologies.

Methods: We used chi(2) and Fisher's exact tests to evaluate variation in the prevalence by selected covariates and computed crude ORs and 95% CIs.